LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday credited PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto with laying the groundwork for Pakistan’s democratic system and authoring the 1973 Constitution, describing it as a defining milestone in the nation’s political evolution.
Speaking via video link at the PPP’s 58th foundation day ceremony, Bilawal said the party’s journey mirrors Pakistan’s own political trajectory. He reiterated that the PPP has consistently championed the working class and the economically marginalised, calling this commitment the essence of the party’s ideology.
Bilawal recalled that after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s “judicial martyrdom,” Benazir Bhutto took up his vision, leading a decades-long struggle for democratic restoration, constitutional supremacy, and the defence of public rights. “She confronted two dictators without hesitation and ultimately sacrificed her life at Liaquat Bagh,” he said.
According to Bilawal, the PPP continued Benazir’s mission after her assassination. Former president Asif Ali Zardari, he noted, not only revived the Constitution through the landmark 18th Amendment but also expanded the party’s social welfare agenda by launching the Benazir Income Support Programme. He highlighted that Zardari also renamed the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, introduced the
Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan reforms package, and strengthened provincial autonomy with a historic NFC Award.
Bilawal further claimed that Pakistan achieved global recognition following its victory against India in the conflict that erupted in May, saying Pakistan’s military and air force downed seven Indian aircraft. He said the PPP acknowledges the role of the then-government, the diplomatic corps, and the armed forces for what he described as a decisive response to India and a source of national pride.
