Pakistan Peoples Party nominates Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as PM candidate

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated its chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as its official prime ministerial candidate ahead of the general elections on 8 February, a media report said on Thursday.

The party's nomination came at the PPP's central executive committee (CEC) meeting held late on Wednesday evening at Bilawal House. Soon after the meeting, a detailed post on the PPP's official X handle with photos of the meeting declared that members of the CEC expressed their confidence in the leadership of party president Asif Ali Zardari and chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

"President Asif Ali Zardari presented the name of chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the candidate for the Prime Minister on behalf of Pakistan Peoples Party. The CEC has endorsed Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the Prime Ministerial candidate of PPP," the party posted on X.

"It is with profound gratitude & great humility that I accept my party's nomination for the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan. On 8 February, we must put an end to the old politics of hate & division. Unite the country around a new politics of services," Bilawal posted on his official X handle after the meeting.

"Our 10-point plan will serve the interests of the many & not just the privileged few. Together we will defeat poverty, unemployment & inflation. Together we will build a peaceful, prosperous & progressive Pakistan," the 35-year-old leader wrote.

Bilawal, the son of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, is contesting from the Lahore (NA-127) constituency, where he would compete with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shaista Pervaiz Malik and a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI)-backed candidate.

PPP leaders including secretary general Taj Haider, Syed Khursheed Shah, Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Samina Khalid Ghurki, Murad Ali Shah, Chaudhry Aslam Gill, and Ali Badr were present at the meeting.

The CEC meeting discussed in detail the party's campaign for the general election. The meeting also discussed the party election manifesto, which decided to give priority to youth and women empowerment, employment, health, and education, The News International reported.

The newspaper report further quoted Bilawal, as talking to the media after the meeting: "The law-and-order situation in 2024 is worse than that of 2018. Terrorism has created a law-and-order situation in the country," Bilawal said as he condemned the incidents of terrorism in the country, and said that to steer the country out of crises, crucial decisions would have to be taken.

"Military dictator Ziaul Haq had tried to hinder the PPP's success by imposing Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif in Punjab. Then, former ISI chiefs -- Gen Pasha and Gen Faiz Hamid -- imposed the PTI and tried to keep the PPP away from Punjab. These efforts have been made because the PPP is a party of the people and represents the common man, while the PML-N and PTI both represent the elite," Bilawal said.

"The PPP will run its campaign in all the provinces of the country and continue its struggle as per the expectations of the party workers. The PPP has always strived for the prosperity of the people. The country is currently facing a plethora of crises, be it on the political, democratic or security front," Bilawal said.

"The PPP is the only party that always came up with its vision and manifesto before polls and kept people on priority," said Bilawal, flanked by Haider and former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

"We want to introduce a new form of politics and let go of the traditional political system while burying the politics of hate and division," the Bhutto Zardari scion said and added, "This is only possible when we bring forward a kind of democracy and economy that benefits all, not just the elite."

Among the 10 points of the party's manifesto, Bilawal said the PPP's first promise to the people of Pakistan is to double their income within five years. Other promises include 300 units of electricity free of cost to the downtrodden masses, establishing green energy parks in every district, providing free, quality education to every child, building three million houses for the less fortunate and launching the Bhookh Mitao' programme at the level of the union councils to ensure food security.