QUETTA, Mar 2 (APP):Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said his party will work with all political groups, both inside and outside the provincial assembly, to solve Balochistan’s problems.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reiterated that the guiding principle for his party’s provincial government in Balochistan is the philosophy of reconciliation as envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Unveiling his priorities for future political activities, the PPP chairman said, ‘I will spend less time in Islamabad and more time in Quetta and Karachi’.
Addressing a press conference after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Balochistan Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, the PPP chairman expressed gratitude to all the political parties present in the Balochistan Assembly for their support to the Chief Minister.
He said that the Balochistan government would be run according to the philosophy and ideology of the PPP, emphasizing that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s last book was on Reconciliation. He highlighted that Balochistan is a province whose problems cannot be solved by any one entity alone.
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced that the newly elected Chief Minister of Balochistan will visit Gawadar for the first time, a city severely affected by recent rains, and added: ‘The Chief Minister will personally assess the situation in Gawadar, conduct a thorough review, and make announcements regarding assistance for the affected people.’
Chairman PPP mentioned that his party had contested the elections based on a 10-point manifesto, adding that if the PPP formed the government at the federal level, it would have implemented stringent measures to provide relief to the people.
“Now that the PPP is set to form governments in Sindh and Balochistan, our commitment is to pursue the implementation of the ‘People’s Economic Agreement’ despite the limited resources of the provinces,” he added.
He also reiterated that terrorism and extremism would be combated through the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP). “We fought terrorists in Swat and Waziristan,” he said, adding that they would again address terrorism through a policy involving dialogue, deterrence, and development. Simultaneously, he expressed the intention to resolve the issue of missing persons through a parliamentary committee.
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari emphasized that the issue of missing persons is a concern for the entire country, advocating the formation of a parliamentary committee to address this matter. “We invite all parties to join the PPP in establishing a parliamentary committee. Our aim is to seek solutions through reconciliation and coordination,” he stated. “The PPP engages in consultations with all, and we will make efforts to resolve the legitimate problems of everyone.”
Responding to a question, the PPP chairman said that the the 18th amendment and the NFC award were, actually, demands of Balochistan, and which were fulfilled by the previous federal government of the PPP. He mentioned that the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-Balochistan was initiated by President Asif Ali Zardari, and if it had been implemented, the situation in Balochistan would have been different at that time.
Responding to another question, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he has great respect for the senior politician Mehmood Khan Achakzai. However, he said, ‘If Achakzai becomes PTI’s candidate for the post of president, he cannot refer to himself as a nationalist.’
