Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto JR, grandson of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, announced on Tuesday that he and his sister Fatima Bhutto will soon launch a new political party – distancing itself from the current leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
In a press conference at his residence in Karachis Clifton area, Bhutto Jr said he had no support from the establishment and built his political identity independently. “I have no support from the establishment; this is a lie. I try to build myself on my own. My sister Fatima Bhutto is coming, and together we will advertise the party. Our youth wing will be with us.”
Bhutto JR categorically excluded any collaboration with PPP, saying that the party had been hijacked and no longer represented the ideals of its basic leadership. “We reject the Zardari League. This is not PPP for Zulficar Ali Bhutto or Mir Murtaza Bhutto Shaheed. We will never work with this ppp.”
He said that PPP today worked for the establishment and had obstructed his late uncle. “PPP is completed. If the current situation persists, it has no future.”
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Bhutto JR announced that he intended to compete the elections of Lyari and expressed solidarity with the area’s residents, especially those affected by the demolition and sealing of buildings in the Baghdadi area.
“I am here for the victims of the Baghdadi incident. About 150 buildings have been sealed in Lyari. PPP’s provincial government must give home to those affected. These people do not pray – they ask for their rights.”
He criticized the recent urban development initiatives in Karachi and described Shahrah-E-Bhutto as a “useless project” and “a clap in the light of the people of Karachi.” He questioned why such projects were prioritized rather than housing for the displaced persons. “If you can build Shahrah-e-Bhutto, why can’t you give home to the people of Lyari?”
Bhutto Jr said he had previously announced his party’s formation during a press conference with farmers in Lahore. However, the official launch would be done with Fatima Bhutto in the coming days, and the name of the party was still under consideration.
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By rejecting dynastic and elitist politics, he accused both PPP and PML-N of serving the wealthy interests. “Zardari League and PML-N make politics for the rich, not for the poor. I am not happy with the performance of the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab.”
He emphasized the need to restore the constitution to his original form and said his movement was facing current resistance to protect democratic norms. “We are with the opposition. We must protect the constitution. It must be restored in its true form.”
On foreign policy, Bhutto Jr said he thought there should be a state under the name Palestine and not a two-state solution. He also expressed concern about human rights issues in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan and called for the release of political prisoners and an end to state oppression.
Bhutto JR concluded by saying that the word “equality” from PPP’s original slogan would be revived through their new platform. “There is not a Lyari in Pakistan, there are many. We will visit each province. We will return to the original values of PPP, but not with the party in its current form.”
