Benazir death anniversary: 'Puppet regime of political orphans' crumbling, says Bilawal

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari lashed out at the government Friday, saying the "puppet regime of political orphans" was crumbling.

The PPP chairperson was addressing a rally held at Liaquat Bagh to mark the 12th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. The former prime minister was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack at a PPP election rally in 2007 at Liaquat Bagh. 

Bilawal said he would complete the unfinished mission of Benazir and ensure people were given their rights. He said the political orphans were ruling over Pakistan; hence, there was a leadership and economic crisis in the country. 

"These are the same political orphans Benazir warned you about," he said. "Look at how they conduct their politics. They are cowards."

Bilawal taunted the government, saying all claims they made about politicians had proven false.

"They said Mian sahab [Nawaz Sharif] will never go abroad for treatment. Mian sahab went abroad for medical treatment. They said President Zardari will never come out of jail. He is out of jail now too," he said.

Bilawal urged the masses to support him in ousting "this government of selected and political orphans as the people's rule cannot be established without the PPP".

The PPP chairperson praised his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, by crediting him with giving rights to the labourers when he was prime minister. Bilawal said his mother had fought two dictators during her lifetime and never backed down from anyone. 

"You [people] are witness that they [political rivals] used to say a woman can never be the prime minister of a Muslim country," he said. "You saw how she became the first female head of state of a Muslim state."

Bilawal said the credit went to Benazir for providing Pakistan with the much-needed missile technology. He said the slain PPP leader had come back to Pakistan, before her assassination, to ensure democracy thrived in the country.

The PPP chairperson slammed the government, saying it was an enemy to the poor people of Pakistan. He criticised "those in corridors of power" for removing women beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from its list and declaring them "undeserving".

"This is not the independence that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah gave us," he said. "We will build the Pakistan that Benazir envisaged for you."