Making labourers jobless govt’s conspiracy: Bilawal

SUKKUR: Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said the housing scheme announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan is a method to whiten the black money. He said making labourers unemployed was a government conspiracy and under this conspiracy, employees of Steel Mills were made jobless.

Addressing a function to distribute flats in Sukkur, the PPP chairman said a hospital and a vocational training institute would be set up in the Mazdoor City. In this difficult time, we will build flats not for the rich but for the poor, he said.

Bilawal said we stand by the side of our labourers. "The PPP is the voice of workers," he said, adding the federal government has destroyed health systems in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "We will thwart any conspiracy of the anti-people government," he said, adding, "We will drive them away with the power of people and form a government that will bring relief to the people."

He said that the government wanted to occupy the islands of Sindh and build houses. These people are also snatching gas from Sindh but the PPP is standing in front of them like a wall. "We cannot give the people their rights until we drive out enemy of poor and the working class," he added.

Bilawal said the country’s industries cannot flourish until the government does something for the problems and woes of nation’s labourers. He said the Benazir Mazdoor Card (BMC) would be rolled out soon and through it no labourerwould be left helpless during these hard times. Despite limited resources our work is in front of you, Bilawal told the gathering, adding the Centre was taking away gas and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases from the province. He said the poor people were being left homeless in the name of encroachment, hinting at the anti-encroachment drive underway to clear Karachi's nullahs. "In the name of encroachment, they are snatching shelter from poor people," he said, while also stressing that 10,000 people have been laid off from Pakistan Steel.

He said Shaheed ZA Bhutto had bestowed pension to retired employees, while the present PPP Sindh government was providing Labour Cards to labourers. He reiterated upon the workers to register themselves with the Labour Department.

While remembering former prime minister and his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal said the PPP began the ideology to give rights to workers and introduced revolutionary legislation for labourers. "Part-time facility was started by the PPP," he specified.

The PPP chairman argued that Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised to build 10 million houses, which is nothing more than a scheme for legalising money laundering. He further said the PTI government wants to occupy the islands of Sindh by building houses on Bundial Island while blaming the federal government for the gas crisis in the province.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also inagurated a Child Life Emergency Centre in Civil Hospital, Ghulam Muhammed Mahar Medical College, Sukkur, and said that telemedicine provision should be in every district, while providing all medical facilities to children according to the world health standard.

He said the NFC Award has not been provided to Sindh. The country was passing through a financial crisis, he said adding the Sindh government had enhanced salaries of employees despite of being deprived of the NFC Award.

He said that stakeholders in the PDM were united. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was incompetent and they were united to get rid of an incompetent PM. He said that it is not an elected government, but it was a selected government and Imran Khan had no any capacity and vision to take the country out of the present crisis. Imran had himself admitted that he is an inexperienced PM. He said that struggle will continue for getting the rights endorsed by the 18th Amendment. He said that there is a gas and power crisis in Pakistan. It is very strange that being an agricultural country, we are facing flour and wheat crisis.

He said that petroleum prices are being raised after every 15 days. He said he had no any information that the PDM was going to make Maulana Fazl as Senate chairman, adding he was not a member of the PDM steering committee. He said Maryam Nawaz had attended a meeting of steering committee as a member of a party, adding Raja Ashraf on behalf of PPP was attending the meetings of PDM Steering Committee. He said every institution of the country should be independent, adding PTI's founding members are gathering evidence of foreign funding.