Will make seawater potable for Lyari: Bilawal

KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Sunday said he is willing to turn seawater into drinkable water to ensure the provision of water for the people of Lyari.

Bilawal was addressing party workers in Lyari’s Chakiwara area during the launch of his electoral campaign, Geo News reported.

“We will ensure water provision for all,” he said, adding that the party will also give interest-free loans to women from underprivileged backgrounds.

Bilawal will contest the upcoming general elections, the first of his political career, from his party’s traditionally dominant National Assembly constituency in Lyari -- NA-246.

Later on, while speaking to workers at Ghaas Mandi, he remarked that his political struggle is starting from Lyari, adding that this is his first election but it will the last for many politicians.

“We have to save Pakistan. We will work together to save Pakistan,” he remarked. “The people of Lyari have given many sacrifices for democracy and Benazir Bhutto. People of Lyari will support me in my mission,” he said.

Bilawal shared that he is fully aware of the countless problems faced by people in Lyari.

“No one other than me will work towards solving your problems,” Bilawal added.

Earlier, angry protesters disrupted Bilawal’s electoral campaign in Lyari.

The residents of Bihar Colony stopped Bilawal’s rally from travelling to Lyari and chanted slogans against him. Some disgruntled protesters also resorted to vandalism by pelting stones on the rally and broke the windows of a car, which was a part of PPP chairman’s caravan.

Bilawal’s motorcade was eventually halted as his car started to heat-up. Bilawal said afterwards that he was not afraid of few stones.

Speaking about the incident, PPP leader Yousaf Baloch told Geo News that protesters can never fall to the level that they did in Lyari.

"Those protesting do not belong to the PPP," he remarked, alleging that protesters belonged to their political rivals such as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) among others.

Spokesman for Bilawal, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar remarked that the PPP's rally was quite peaceful.

"Parties who engage in politics of violence won't be able to stop our way," he said. "We have always responded to violence by political action," he said.

Khokhar added that district administration, police, and Rangers should play their part.

"The ECP should take notice of this incident and issue directions to finish hurdles (in way of politician's election campaign)," he remarked.

The PPP leader Maula Bux Chandio held the caretaker government responsible for the disruption of Bilawal’s caravan in Lyari.

He questioned why the caretaker government failed to ensure proper arrangements for Bilawal’s visit to Lyari.

Moreover, party leader Saeed Ghani remarked that the PPP workers wanted to move forward but weren’t allowed to do so by the protesters. “Some people even pelted stones at the PPP rally,” he said. He further said: “We won’t be played by such miscreants”.