President Asif Ali Zardari declared on Monday that his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is PPP chairman, will contest coming general elections from party’s stronghold of Lyari.
He made the announcement at a high-level meeting which he presided over at the Presidential Camp Office at Bilawal House, before his flying to Dubai.
Sources said that the meeting also mulled over making Lyari a new district as it reviewed the development works in the area.
Sources said that President Zardari informed the meeting that Bilawal would come to Pakistan in September this year and thereafter will remain in contact with the people and elected representatives of Lyari by holding regular meetings. He would also oversee the development projects and other matters related to the neighborhood , which had remained a stronghold of the party since its inception in 1967. Zardari said that he himself will hold meetings with the people of Lyari as well after two to three months.
Nabeel Gabol, a scion of Gabool family that had been residing in Lyari, is the sitting MNA from the neighborhood. However, after the worsening of law and order, Nabeel Gabool left the area. Nabeel Gabool’s uncle Abdus Sattar Gabool was elected MNA from Lyari in 70s during ZA Bhutto’s first tenure. Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari also won elections from the area.
Selecting Lyari for launching Bilawal’s political career is meaningful because it is safe constituency where no PPP candidate has ever lost any election. Though politically safe for the party, the neighborhood is a volatile area where campaigning for elections and meeting the voters door to door would be difficult proposition.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, provincial ministers and legislators from Lyari and high officials attended the meeting.
During the meeting President Zardari ordered for formulation of a policy under which compensation and plots would be given to the heirs of those who lost their lives in the violence during three and half years.
The meeting reviewed the progress of the ongoing projects, including roads, sewerage system, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, flyovers and water supply schemes. President Zardari underlined the need for strict compliance on projects, proper utilization of funds and early completion of these schemes to benefit the people of Lyari. In a briefing on Lyari development package, the president was told that Rs2.8 billion have been spent during last three years.
Meanwhile, President Zardari presided over a meeting to discuss the law and order in Karachi and decided to take a number of steps to improve the situation. It was decided that permanent police posts would be set up in the troubled areas of the city where large number of people lost their lives to targeted killing.
President Zardari directed immediate induction of 40 ACP’s (Armoured Personnel Carriers) which could be used by the law enforcers in the province. The president also directed the Federal interior minister to call more FC troops if need be, besides the one thousand soldiers already called-in recently.
Later, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Interior Minister Rehman Malik hold a follow up meeting to review the decisions taken in the Bilawal House meeting.
He made the announcement at a high-level meeting which he presided over at the Presidential Camp Office at Bilawal House, before his flying to Dubai.
Sources said that the meeting also mulled over making Lyari a new district as it reviewed the development works in the area.
Sources said that President Zardari informed the meeting that Bilawal would come to Pakistan in September this year and thereafter will remain in contact with the people and elected representatives of Lyari by holding regular meetings. He would also oversee the development projects and other matters related to the neighborhood , which had remained a stronghold of the party since its inception in 1967. Zardari said that he himself will hold meetings with the people of Lyari as well after two to three months.
Nabeel Gabol, a scion of Gabool family that had been residing in Lyari, is the sitting MNA from the neighborhood. However, after the worsening of law and order, Nabeel Gabool left the area. Nabeel Gabool’s uncle Abdus Sattar Gabool was elected MNA from Lyari in 70s during ZA Bhutto’s first tenure. Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari also won elections from the area.
Selecting Lyari for launching Bilawal’s political career is meaningful because it is safe constituency where no PPP candidate has ever lost any election. Though politically safe for the party, the neighborhood is a volatile area where campaigning for elections and meeting the voters door to door would be difficult proposition.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, provincial ministers and legislators from Lyari and high officials attended the meeting.
During the meeting President Zardari ordered for formulation of a policy under which compensation and plots would be given to the heirs of those who lost their lives in the violence during three and half years.
The meeting reviewed the progress of the ongoing projects, including roads, sewerage system, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, flyovers and water supply schemes. President Zardari underlined the need for strict compliance on projects, proper utilization of funds and early completion of these schemes to benefit the people of Lyari. In a briefing on Lyari development package, the president was told that Rs2.8 billion have been spent during last three years.
Meanwhile, President Zardari presided over a meeting to discuss the law and order in Karachi and decided to take a number of steps to improve the situation. It was decided that permanent police posts would be set up in the troubled areas of the city where large number of people lost their lives to targeted killing.
President Zardari directed immediate induction of 40 ACP’s (Armoured Personnel Carriers) which could be used by the law enforcers in the province. The president also directed the Federal interior minister to call more FC troops if need be, besides the one thousand soldiers already called-in recently.
Later, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Interior Minister Rehman Malik hold a follow up meeting to review the decisions taken in the Bilawal House meeting.
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