millions of Pakistanis. But this sadly is in the past tense.
Former special correspondent of The News, Nusrat Javeed sums up the freshness and appeal of the PPP as Bilawal Bhutto takes centre stage who is such a welcome and fresh sight compared to the weary Nawaz Sharif’s and Imran Khan’s on the political scene.
“He told me in an interview that it was time that the politics of rage was over,” Nusrat quotes him.
In fact, Bilawal echoed the views of thousands of sane Pakistanis when he remarked the other day, “Hum bohat thak gain hain”.
“It was demoralising for my entire generation in the last a few days to see the writ of the state erode, to see the abject surrender of the state, to see the rule of law made a mockery of, to see the freedom of press strangled, but now I want to give a message to all the forces that enough is enough and let the country move ahead,” he said while addressing a press conference at the Zardari House here on the eve of the 50th Foundation Day of the PPP.
Salute to the person or persons who is tutoring Bilawal in politics but compared to the continuing rhetoric being heard for nearly five years from around the country this young gentleman’s statements are music to one’s ears.
Though it would be unfair to compare him to his mother when she was at this age as the circumstances were very different for Benazir, but it has to be said that this new star on PPP’s horizon has a very sound head on his shoulders.
Not surprisingly, there are shades of Bhutto and Benazir when he speaks at jalsas and his improved Urdu together with the accent puts us Pushtuns to shame!
Together with Mian Raza Rabbani, Aitzaz Ahsan and Farhatullah Babar a few names in the long list of PPP’s uncompromising brave hearts, one wonders whether in 2018 the PPP still has a chance.
As the powers to be, get into action to club alliances and bring forth old tired faces some even from proscribed groups into elections 2018, the PPP as we speak today does not have a chance.
As the government sends the PPP a long list of no loudspeaker, no political speeches, no fireworks etc etc as the party readies for a jalsa at Parade Ground next week, on December 5, one is reminded of Ghulam Ishaq Khan, a former scheming army chief and hostile bureaucracy of the eighties and those that followed them who also had a pathological hatred for a party which today is being celebrated from Khyber to Karachi.
Senator Sherry Rehman said it all in a tweet, “How does this constitute a jalsa permission? Silent gathering? Seriously.”
To those that see the PPP as a threat one can only say, “Kiya hum aap kay saath nahi hain?”