Bilawal pledges fight for Gilgit-Baltistan rights under 18th amendment

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said Gilgit-Baltistan should be accorded the same constitutional protections, powers and facilities available to provinces under the 18th Amendment, asserting that only then would its people become owners of their resources and masters of their own destiny.

As political activity gathers pace ahead of UK general elections scheduled for Sunday after a four-month delay caused by severe winter weather, Bilawal addressed a public gathering in Skardu attended by First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari.

Recalling the previous elections, he said there had been an atmosphere of celebration at that time, whereas the current election campaign was going on in an atmosphere of mourning.

Read: Bilawal campaigns in Shigar on the election trail in GB

“I toured GB on foot at the last election. I wanted to do the same this time,” he said, adding that there was an “air of sadness” for both the people of GB and himself.

He said there were no politicians in the country who had traveled as much as he had, adding that he had visited every single place in GB.

The PPP chairman said his party was the only political force that represented the underprivileged and the poor, stressing that Pakistan could progress only when workers and youth were economically empowered.

“Progress is when the farmer gets the fruits of their hard work, progress is when employment opportunities are created for the youth,” he said, recalling that his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s policies had “turned workers into owners of mills”.

Calling for greater rights for the people of GB, the PPP chairman said his party’s new generation would continue the fight to secure the region’s right to govern, own its resources and create employment opportunities for its youth.

“I have to fight with GB’s new generation. If we are to implement the roti, kapra, makaan manifesto in its true meaning, then we will have to work on three principles – we will have to ensure the right to govern, the right to own property and the right to employment,” he said.

He added that the struggle of PPP’s new generation would be aimed at securing the people of GB’s right to govern and this would only be achieved when the region received the protection, facilities and powers of the 18th Amendment.

“We believe that all this will only be possible when GB is given 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 the GB received the same authority under the 18th Amendment that was available to Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Also read: Nawaz vows push for GB infrastructure upgrades, airport expansion

“When GB has these powers and the 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 that innocent children had been martyred after a school in Iran was hit by missiles and that people around the world were bearing the brunt of the conflict.

He added that Zionist forces had attacked 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 peace efforts carried out by the field marshal prove to be 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 prays for the success of the role played by the Pakistani field marshal,” he said.

Bilawal said the conflict also had economic consequences that had negatively affected people around the world.

He also referred to the presence of foreign air bases in some Middle Eastern countries and said that Pakistan’s history included a period when a military ruler had allowed foreign powers to establish air bases in the country.

“But when the Salala incident occurred and Pakistan’s sovereignty came into question, President Asif Ali Zardari took a bold decision and closed 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 prioritized national dignity and self-respect over hospitality,” he said.

Referring to PPP’s slogan of “roti, kapra aur makaan”, he said the party would have to ensure right to rule, right to ownership and right to employment to the people of GB if it wanted to implement its manifesto in its true spirit.

The PPP chairman said that Benazir’s Income Support Program (BISP) during his tenure as foreign minister was the only institution for which other countries asked Pakistan for help in establishing similar initiatives.

“From Egypt to Brazil and across many countries in Africa, there is a desire to launch programs similar to Benazir’s income support program to serve poor people,” he said.

Without naming any party, he said some political forces were calling for the abolition of BISP instead of looking into subsidies for the wealthy or the taxes paid by business.

“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 GB, this financial assistance to poor women in the name of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto reaches those in need. The conspiracies of the political parties opposing this program will fail,” he said.

Read more: Barrister Gohar, Bilawal arrive in Skardu as GB election campaign enters final stretch

Bilawal said that the PPP would not only protect BISP but 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 GB must be given ownership rights.

“It must be accepted that local people should have ownership in every project. This is how it was done in Sindh. When coal was mined from Thar, electricity was provided to the 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 enjoyed by the whole of Pakistan, but this is the PPP that wants first.

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. Earlier, Nepal held the record for housing construction after the earthquake. Now 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 name of women,” he said.