Gilgit-Baltistan Should Not Be Run from Islamabad Bureaucrats, Says Bilawal Bhutto
Gilgit: Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (Pakistan Peoples Party) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that he wants decisions regarding Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir to be made by the people rather than “Islamabad-based bureaucrats.”
Addressing an election rally in Shigar under constituency GB-A 12, Bilawal said he had come to seek public support once again, claiming that the people had never disappointed the Pakistan Peoples Party.
He said that the vision of the party’s founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was based on providing “roti, kapra aur makaan,” and credited the PPP for strengthening Pakistan, including its development as a nuclear power.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stressed the need for free and fair elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, urging voters to ensure transparency in the electoral process. He also claimed that arrangements for alleged electoral manipulation would be handled by his party, while emphasizing that no election mandate should be “stolen.”
He added that elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir should be held simultaneously with general elections in Pakistan to ensure genuine representation and true public authority.
Criticizing centralized governance, the PPP chairman said that decisions about regions such as Gwadar and Karachi should not be controlled from Islamabad, arguing that local people should have authority over their own affairs.
He further highlighted the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), stating that it provides essential financial assistance to women across Pakistan and from Shigar to the coastal areas of Balochistan. He said the programme should remain under federal control, warning that transferring it to provinces could weaken or dismantle it.
Bilawal also accused political opponents of attempting to undermine successful social welfare initiatives, adding that his party would resist any such efforts.
