Those doing injustice today to face music tomorrow: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Tuesday said the impact of politics of hate and division was reaching every household in the country.

“They should understand that what is happening to their opponents today will also happen to them tomorrow,” he warned while addressing a luncheon organized in the honor of party workers and office-bearers at the Bhutto House, Naudero. He said the people’s government formed after winning the general elections will solve the economic and political crises and sever the head of terrorism.

“Pakistan today faces an economic crisis, hatred, division and a bad law and order situation. The impact of the situation in Afghanistan is visible from the katcha area to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the people are bearing the brunt of these consequences,” he said. In the given situation, he said, those who matter in Islamabad were not worried about the people’s suffering. “They have no idea that due to the decisions taken in Islamabad, the people have to bear the burden of record inflation, unemployment and poverty,” he said.

Bilawal said terrorists and terrorist organizations, which martyred Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and were resisted by Jiyalas, people, police and army jawans, were raising their ugly heads again. “Why are they raising their heads? Because as a state, we had decided that we will talk to the same terrorists. They were invited to come to Pakistan in large numbers. Come to Karachi and build your own houses. When we were having tea in Kabul, we had no idea how the people of Pakistan would have to bear the brunt of it,” he pointed out.

“We don’t think about what Imran Khan and Shehbaz Sharif did in their respective constituencies as prime ministers, but we are answerable to Garhi Khuda Bakhsh.”

Meanwhile, Bilawal unveiled the party’s election manifesto. Addressing the unveiling ceremony of the “People’s Economic Agreement” at Begum Nusrat Bhutto Auditorium in Larkana, he urged the party’s office-bearers and workers as well as the media to make the people aware about the party’s ‘revolutionary document’, which offered the key to overcoming all the challenges facing the nation. The document says:

Double real incomes for wage earnings: increase minimum wage in real terms by 8 percent every year to take it to a living wage.

Double public investment leading to large-scale increase in employment opportunities thus reducing unemployment and underemployment.

Focus investment and job creation on needs of local communities.

Public-private partnerships in social and productive sectors at the provincial and local levels.

Achieve a major boost in private investment in the housing sector by people at the bottom of the pyramid, by a massive increase in private home ownership among the poorest.

Reforms and investments in agriculture and small businesses to lead to growth in incomes and employment for the poorest.

Climate resilience: Climate change related investments will be undertaken in public sector, public-private partnership mode and by foreign direct investments.

Investment in Pakistan’s public sector infrastructure including roads, communication, health, irrigation, agriculture, with a focus on climate resilience.

Once investments are made, it will unleash economic activity, generate employment opportunities and prepare us for the impacts of climate change.

Indigenous and Green Energy: Access to affordable electricity is a right.

The existing system of pricing and distribution has failed our people.

Will provide sustainable solutions to the energy crisis by providing electricity through indigenous sources and renewables.

Will establish green energy parks across Pakistan through public private partnerships providing off grid power and green energy solutions for communities. In order to catalyze the energy transition, the poorest households will be given free electricity up to 300 units through solar generation, and this will be funded through carbon credits.

Education for all: We will ensure schooling for all girls and boys of schoolgoing age and implement article 25A of the Constitution in letter and spirit. Ensuring the provision of quality primary schools within 30 minutes travel time and quality middle/secondary schools within 60 minutes travel time in all communities.

Stipend for schoolgoing children in rural and low-income urban communities.

Establishing a university in every district of Pakistan.

Healthcare for all: We believe that there is nothing more important than the health of a nation. To this end, we will extend health initiatives already in place in Sindh, across Pakistan: Provide free primary healthcare and medicines across the country. Ensure all basic health units are fully operational. Provide free treatment for chronic diseases - diseases of the heart, liver, and kidney through the public sector as well as through the public-private partnership model.

Housing as a right: Housing for the poor, the landless, and the working class Scheme covering rural and low-income urban areas in all provinces/regions. Modeled on the success of historic initiatives such as the Punjab marla schemes, and ongoing Sindh peoples housing programme for flood victims. Families without home ownership to be covered. At least 3 million climate resilient homes to be built and women heads of household to get legal titles of the property. Katchi abadis to be regularized and inhabitants to get ownership. People living in the Katcha area will be brought into the mainstream by being given land titles.

Ghurbat Mitao (BISP Expansion): We will expand the Benazir Income Support Programme network to provide much needed support to the additional citizens. We will expand the following:

Waseela-e-Haq (WeH) programme to provide micro loans to women with a view to enhance small business and entrepreneurship. Waseela-e-Taleem (WeT) programme will provide top-up cash transfer per eligible child in the household, with no upper limit on the number of children per household who are eligible for the programme. Waseela-e-Rozgar (WeR) programme will provide vocational training to a selected member of a beneficiary family. Waseela-e-Sehat (WeS) programme will provide protection against catastrophic health expenditure to registered beneficiary families. Khushhaal Kisaan - Khushhaal Pakistan: Recognition of small farmers, kisaan, haari, and male and female agricultural workers as stakeholders in agriculture through registration with the haari / kisaan card. Crop Insurance to promote diversity in crops, ensure crop support prices for various crops. Jawaan Mustaqbil i.e. one-year stipend for educated, deserving young women and men to transition to work. Bhook Mitao seeks to employ a rights based approach and promulgate the right to food act in parliament. Under this act, every eligible household will be entitled to purchase essential food items on subsidized rates.