Leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have paid tribute to the party’s 58-year political journey, crediting its founding chairman, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, for shifting national politics from elite drawing rooms to the hands of ordinary citizens.
Addressing a press conference at Shah Ahmad Noorani Eidgah Ground in Karachi, Sindh Labour Minister and PPP Karachi Division President Saeed Ghani, along with PPP Sindh General Secretary Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi, said the party inspired political awareness among workers, labourers, and the middle and lower classes. They added that the PPP’s struggle to reduce the establishment’s influence in politics is widely acknowledged.
As the PPP marks its foundation day on November 30, celebrations are underway nationwide. Ghani said the Karachi Division’s public gathering at the Eidgah Ground in Korangi 3½ will be a historic event for the city. He added that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address district-level gatherings via video link, with the Karachi event scheduled to begin at 1pm.
Ghani said that in 2024, Karachi’s foundation day celebration was held in District East, while this year’s gathering has been organised in Korangi. He expressed confidence that it would be one of the largest PPP events held in Karachi’s history, with participants arriving from 47 provincial constituencies.
The minister said that before the PPP’s formation, politics was controlled by wealthy elites. The PPP, he said, opened political doors for the common man and introduced landmark reforms, including the Constitution, nuclear and missile programmes, and provincial autonomy. The party’s 58-year history, he added, is marked by major achievements and immense sacrifices.
Senator Waqar Mehdi said the PPP’s legacy is built upon struggle and martyrdom. He praised Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for giving Pakistan a unifying Constitution and recalled the leadership of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto — the first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan. He said the PPP has consistently resisted military rule, with women playing a vital role in the movement.
On event-related arrangements, Ghani said security and traffic fall under the administration’s responsibility, while the People’s Youth Organisation and People’s Students Federation will manage internal and external coordination at the venue.
Responding to questions, Ghani said the establishment has tried to undermine the PPP since 1977, recalling electoral manipulation and political suppression, especially in Punjab. Despite this, he said, the PPP has consistently survived attempts to eliminate it — something he argued no other party could have endured.
He reiterated that the PPP has suffered more electoral rigging than any other political party in the country. Ghani also claimed that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would become the next Prime Minister of Pakistan.
He added that while the PPP has always worked to reduce the establishment’s political role, other political parties, the judiciary, media, and civil society must contribute to strengthening democracy. Ghani said the PPP is not a militant organisation but a democratic party committed to constitutional politics, parliamentary struggle, and representation of people from all backgrounds.
