Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday stated that Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) must be granted the same constitutional protections, powers, and facilities as the provinces under the 18th Amendment. He asserted that only then would the people of G-B become owners of their resources and masters of their own destiny.
As political activity intensifies ahead of the G-B general elections scheduled for Sunday, after a four-month delay due to harsh winter weather, Bilawal addressed a public gathering in Skardu attended by First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari. Recalling previous elections, he noted that there had been an atmosphere of celebration, whereas the current campaign was taking place in an atmosphere of grief.
“I toured G-B on foot in the last elections. I wanted to do the same this time,” he said, adding that there was an “air of grief” for both the people of G-B and himself. He claimed that no politician in the country had traveled as extensively as he had, having visited every tehsil of G-B.
The PPP chairman said his party was the only political force representing the underprivileged and the poor, stressing that Pakistan could only progress when workers and young people were economically empowered. “Progress is when the farmer gets the fruit of their hard work, progress is when employment opportunities are created for the youth,” he said, recalling that the policies of his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, had “made labourers the owners of mills”.
Calling for greater rights for the people of G-B, Bilawal said his party's new generation would continue the struggle to secure the region's right to govern, own its resources, and create employment opportunities for its youth. “I have to struggle along with G-B’s new generation. If we have to implement the manifesto of roti, kapra, makaan in its true sense, then we will have to work on three principles — we will have to secure the right to govern, the right to ownership, and the right to employment,” he said.
He added that the struggle of the PPP's new generation would be aimed at securing the people of G-B's right to govern, which would only be achieved when the region received the protections, facilities, and powers provided under the 18th Amendment. “We believe all of this will only be possible when G-B is granted the same powers and facilities that will make its people owners of their resources and masters of their own destiny.” Bilawal said this would happen when G-B received the same authority under the 18th Amendment that was available to Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
“When G-B has those powers and that constitutional protection, only then will our new generation feel that we have succeeded,” he added.
Referring to the situation in the Middle East, the PPP chairman said innocent children had been martyred after a school in Iran was targeted by missiles, and that people around the world were bearing the burden of the conflict. He added that Zionist forces had targeted a girls' school, resulting in the martyrdom of innocent schoolgirls, and also referred to the reported martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the holy month of Ramazan.
“We pray that the efforts for peace being undertaken by the field marshal prove successful. The Pakistan People's Party has always opposed war. The recent conflict has resulted in casualties not only in Iran but also in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, where Muslims are being martyred. In this situation, every Pakistani is praying for the success of the role being played by the Pakistan Armed Forces and the field marshal for the establishment of peace,” he said.
Bilawal said the conflict was also having economic consequences that had adversely affected people across the world. He also referred to the presence of foreign air bases in some Middle Eastern countries and said Pakistan's history included a period when a military ruler had allowed foreign powers to establish air bases in the country.
“However, when the Salala incident occurred, and Pakistan’s sovereignty came into question, President Asif Ali Zardari took a courageous decision and shut down all foreign bases, sending a clear message that no compromise would be accepted on Pakistan’s territory and sovereignty. It was a moment when the state prioritised national dignity and self-respect over hospitality,” he said.
Referring again to the PPP's slogan of “roti, kapra aur makaan”, he said the party would have to secure the right to govern, the right to ownership, and the right to employment for the people of G-B if it wished to implement its manifesto in its true spirit.
The PPP chairman said that during his tenure as foreign minister, the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was the only institution about which other countries asked Pakistan for assistance in establishing similar initiatives. “From Egypt to Brazil, and across many countries in Africa, there is a desire to launch programmes similar to the Benazir Income Support Programme to serve poor people,” he said.
Without naming any party, he said some political forces called for the abolition of BISP rather than examining subsidies provided to the wealthy or the taxes paid by the business community. “This is the only institution from Islamabad that reaches every poor household. From Balochistan to the former tribal districts, and from there to the mountains of G-B, this financial assistance provided to poor women in the name of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto reaches those in need. The conspiracies of political parties that oppose this programme will fail,” he said.
Bilawal said the PPP would not only protect BISP but that the prime minister would announce an increase in its allocation in the upcoming budget. He further said that everything could not be controlled from Islamabad and that G-B must be granted ownership rights. “It must be accepted that local people should be given ownership in every project. This is how it was done in Sindh. When coal was extracted from Thar, electricity was provided to local communities, jobs were created for them in the projects, and they were even offered shares. They chose financial compensation instead of shares. The benefits of Thar coal are being enjoyed by all of Pakistan, but the local people benefited first. This is what the PPP wants,” he said.
The PPP chairman said he compared Sindh not with other provinces but with the wider world. “The housing project in Sindh is the largest of its kind in the world. Previously, Nepal held the record for post-earthquake housing construction. Now that the record belongs to Sindh, where two million permanent homes are being built after the floods. These homes will not be destroyed even if floods occur again, and they will be registered in the names of women,” he said.
