On the 14th of October, during the Sindh Haari Card Distribution ceremony, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari proudly declared, "Barabari sarasari assan ghuraon tha etri adal insaaf jetri" (“Equality and fairness we strive for, as justice we want”). However, just a day before, the streets of Karachi witnessed a scene that completely undermined his call for justice and equality. On the 13th of October, outside the Karachi Press Club, peaceful protesters, including artists, writers, singers, and intellectuals, gathered under the banner of the Sindh Rawadari March to raise their voices against religious extremism. These citizens were marching for peace, tolerance, and a more progressive Sindh. But rather than being heard, they were met with brutal force. The Sindh police, under the government led by Bilawal's own party, responded with violence. Tear gas, batons, and physical assaults rained down on these peaceful demonstrators. Women, mothers, and respected intellectuals were beaten on the streets by the very police that should have protected their right to protest.
"When peaceful protesters are beaten in the streets by your police force, Bilawal, where is the justice you speak of? The people of Sindh are watching. They remember the PPP that fought for them"
Bilawal, your words of equality and justice sound hollow when your own police force is attacking innocent civilians. For 16 years, your party has ruled Sindh, and yet under your watch, the same progressive ideals that once defined the PPP have been overshadowed by acts of violence and oppression. How can a party that was once a symbol of hope for the marginalized allow such brutal suppression of peaceful voices? This incident becomes even more painful when viewed in the light of PPP’s own history.
The PPP has been known with resistance against oppression. During General Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorship, the PPP played a vital role in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), with Sindh as the epicentre of this struggle. Thousands of people, including women and children, laid down their lives fighting for democracy, civil rights, and the end of martial law. The PPP, under Benazir Bhutto, bravely stood up against tyranny, fighting for a Pakistan where everyone’s voice mattered. But today, the party that once led that noble struggle now seems to have forgotten its roots, allowing the very forces of oppression it once resisted to prevail.
Bilawal! the people of Sindh remember the Pakistan People’s Party of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto – a party that was once synonymous with progress, secularism and equality. But today, your party seems to have been hijacked by feudal lords who care little for these values. Key ministers in your party, like Zia Lanjar, Sindh’s Law, Parliamentary, and Interior Minister, represent the worst of this feudal hijacking. Their priorities seem to lie in maintaining power and control, rather than upholding the values that your party was built on. Lanjar, a symbol of the feudal mindset now steering your party, has failed to protect the rights of the very people he was appointed to serve.
The Pakistan People’s Party we knew stood for gender equality, secularism, and the protection of free speech. It was the party that gave hope to the oppressed and voiced the concerns of the marginalized. But today, that vision seems to have faded. When peaceful protesters are beaten in the streets by your police force, Bilawal, where is the justice you speak of? The people of Sindh are watching. They remember the PPP that fought for them, that gave them a voice, and that stood against tyranny. But now, they are left wondering if that party still exists.
The events of the 13th of October have left many questioning the direction of your leadership. If the PPP is to return to its roots and regain the trust of the people, it must confront the injustices within its own ranks and recommit to the values of its founders. The legacy of the PPP is one of progress, freedom, and justice. But that legacy is in jeopardy. It is time for reflection. Will the PPP continue down this path of suppression and inequality, or will it rise once again as the champion of the people? The people of Sindh are waiting for an answer.