Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Thursday that his party would secure constitutional rights for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Addressing a public rally at a recreational park, Bhutto-Zardari said a strong public mandate was needed to ensure that the demands of Gilgit-Baltistan were heard in Islamabad. He said the PPP remained committed to granting further rights to Gilgit-Baltistan and would pursue legislation on property ownership rights for the region.
Bhutto-Zardari said Gilgit-Baltistan possessed vast hydropower potential and could generate up to 50,000 megawatts of electricity. He added that the PPP planned to develop this capacity through public-private partnerships and enable the region to supply power to the rest of the country.
The former foreign minister said Gilgit-Baltistan could become Pakistan’s next major tourism hub and pledged to open a road link with Tajikistan to promote trade and economic activity.
The PPP chairman said merit-based employment opportunities should be provided to local people and maintained that his party was the only political force capable of fulfilling its commitments.
Bhutto-Zardari praised President Asif Ali Zardari for providing national recognition to Gilgit-Baltistan, introducing the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the NFC Award, and advancing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.
He said the people of Gilgit-Baltistan faced challenges that were not fully understood elsewhere in the country and called for the election of a PPP chief minister to help secure the region’s rights.
Bhutto-Zardari expressed confidence that the PPP would perform strongly in the forthcoming elections and said the party sought overwhelming public support across Gilgit-Baltistan.
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