LARKANA: The central executive committee (CEC) of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which met at Naudero House on Tuesday, called for constituting a commission on missing persons and also a truth and reconciliation commission to “correct history”.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari jointly presided over the meeting which stretched over three sessions, party leaders Nayyar Bukhari, Farhatullah Babar and Chaudhry Manzoor said while briefing media after the meeting.

According to them, the meeting resolved that the PPP would oppose any unconstitutional step and called for holding general elections on time. At the same time, it asked courts to take notice of Nawaz Sharif’s talk against the judiciary.

Warns against any ‘unconstitutional move’

The CEC expressed concern over the court verdict in the Benazir Bhutto murder case and decided to effectively plead the review petition filed in court.

Retired General Pervez Musharraf should return to the country and face the charges against him in the Benazir Bhutto murder case and over violation of the Constitution, instead of blaming others, the meeting said.

The PPP leaders said the meeting extensively discussed a roadmap for the party and resolved that the PPP was ready to contest general elections and fight against its adversaries.

The meeting also decided that the party chairman Mr Bhutto-Zardari would embark upon a countrywide tour and address public meetings under a mass contact programme. The tour will start from Sindh and will take the young Bhutto to southern and central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and finally end at Balochistan.

The meeting rejected US move to recognise Al Quds / Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and called for resolving the Kashmir issue in the light of United Nations resolutions.

Expressing concern over the ongoing protest and unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan, the PPP CEC called for granting constitutional rights to the people of the region. It also supported the merger of the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas with KP.

The meeting paid tribute to the army jawans and civilians for the sacrifices they have offered during the fight against terrorism and urged the government to implement the National Action Plan in letter and in spirit.

It expressed concern over the reports that banned (militant) organisations were working with new names and opposed the efforts to bring outlawed outfits into the mainstream.

The CEC decided that Asif Zardari would lead a PPP delegation in the multi-party conference convened by Dr Tahirul Qadri.

The meeting paid tribute to the services and sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto for democracy. The participants said the struggle and sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto had been internationally appreciated and the Oxford University had introduced a fellowship on the slain leader.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Bhutto-Zardari expressed concern over ‘handmade’ economic conditions under which the government had secured more than Rs40 billion loans and said the dollar’s value had come down in the local market that would in future cast impact on the common man.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2017