Bilawal promises land, job rights for GB people, emphasizes digital connectivity

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday renewed his pledge to secure land ownership and employment rights for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), while pledging to expand digital connectivity and modern internet infrastructure to create economic opportunities and empower the region’s youth.

Addressing an election rally in Gilgit on the last day of campaigning for the GB elections on June 7, Bilawal urged PPP workers to ensure the protection of the Form-45s and said the party would not allow anyone to usurp its mandate.

“You have to provide Form-45 because we will not allow anyone to rob Pakistan Peoples Party of its right,” he told party supporters.

Referring to the PPP’s election manifesto, Bilawal said the party wanted to secure the right to self-government for the people of Britain and would continue to stand by them in that struggle.

“We want to secure the right to self-government for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and the PPP stands with you in this struggle which has continued for three generations,” he said.

Criticizing the current GB government over rising unemployment, Bilawal said that two governments had come to power in the region since the tenure of the PPP, but no recruitments had been made during that period.

He said if voted to power after the June 7 elections, the PPP would reopen the recruitment process and fill all vacancies on merit.

“If we really unlock the potential of this region, we will not only be able to provide jobs to the youth here but also create opportunities for economic growth and employment for young people across Pakistan,” he said, adding that the region could prove to be the “Koh-i-Noor” of Pakistan’s economy.

Bilawal advocated the use of modern technology, saying that communication and digital infrastructure were more important than roads, and argued that digital connectivity should be prioritized before investing in other infrastructure projects.

“If there is digital connectivity, every child will be able to connect digitally from home and conduct business via a mobile phone. Only through digital connectivity can we open GB’s economy to the modern era,” he said.

He promised to make every effort to provide the region with the latest optical fiber infrastructure to ensure high-quality digital connectivity in every village and district.

“If it is not possible through optical fiber from China and we have to talk to the US to provide the satellite-based Starlink internet service to the people of GB, then we will try to make those arrangements,” Bilawal said.

He added that significant investment in digital infrastructure would be needed if the region was to realize its full potential.

“We need to invest in digital infrastructure so that we can fulfill our promise of ‘Haq-i-Rozgar’ for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said.

Bilawal said that if the people of GB wanted to secure their Haq-i-Milkiyat (right to ownership of land), they should ensure PPP’s victory in the June 7 elections.

“Others may participate in these elections for their own interests, but I am participating in this election to secure your right to self-government, your right to employment and to continue the struggle for your right to land ownership,” he said.

He appealed to the people of GB to give the PPP a decisive mandate, saying it would enable the party to secure its right of ownership and ensure it could hold its own land.

Bilawal said that during the previous election he had toured the entire region and had wanted to take First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari across the UK, but circumstances were different this time.

He said that the entire Muslim world is currently facing a trial.

“The situation in Gaza, Palestine, is in front of everyone. The situation in Lebanon is in front of you. The situation in Arab countries is in front of you, and what is happening with Iran is also in front of you,” he said.

“Under these circumstances, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will have to decide who they want to represent them,” he added.

Bilawal, who credited the country’s strong defense capabilities to PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, said the former prime minister had made Pakistan’s defenses impregnable by giving it the nuclear bomb.

“Today the world is undergoing a test but no one can cast an evil eye on Pakistan because Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave this country the nuclear bomb and that nuclear bomb continues to defend Pakistan today,” the PPP chairman said.

Bilawal also credited President Asif Ali Zardari for the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, describing it as an even bigger decision than the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He further praised Zardari’s decision to close foreign military bases in Pakistan, calling it an even greater achievement.

“When Zardari became president for the first time, he not only ensured that all these bases were closed but also bid farewell to our guests with great respect. It is because of that historic decision that Pakistan remains safe today,” he added.