KARACHI: Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Jr, grandson of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, announced on Tuesday that he and his sister Fatima Bhutto, will soon launch a new political party — distancing themselves from the current leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Karachi’s Clifton area, Bhutto Jr said he had no backing from the establishment and was building his political identity independently. “I have no support from the establishment; this is a lie. I am trying to build myself on my own. My sister Fatima Bhutto is coming, and together we will announce the party. Our youth wing will be with us.”
Bhutto Jr categorically ruled out any collaboration with the PPP, saying the party had been hijacked and no longer represented the ideals of its founding leadership. “We reject the Zardari League. This is not the PPP of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto or Mir Murtaza Bhutto Shaheed. We will never work with this PPP.”
He said the PPP today was working for the establishment and had placed obstacles in the way of his late uncle. “The PPP has ended. If the current situation persists, it has no future.”
Bhutto Jr announced his intention to contest elections from Lyari and expressed solidarity with the area’s residents, particularly those affected by demolitions and the sealing of buildings in the Baghdadi area.
“I am here for the victims of the Baghdadi incident. Around 150 buildings have been sealed in Lyari. The PPP’s provincial government must provide homes to the affected. These people are not begging — they are asking for their rights.”
Criticising recent urban development initiatives in Karachi, he described Shahrah-e-Bhutto as a “useless project” and “a slap in the face of the people of Karachi.” He questioned why such projects were prioritised over housing for the displaced. “If you can build Shahrah-e-Bhutto, why can’t you give homes to the people of Lyari?”
Bhutto Jr said he had earlier announced his party’s formation during a press conference with farmers in Lahore. However, the official launch would be made alongside Fatima Bhutto in the coming days, and the name of the party was still under consideration.
Rejecting dynastic and elitist politics, he accused both the PPP and PML-N of serving the interests of the wealthy. “Zardari League and PML-N are doing politics for the rich, not for the poor. I am not satisfied with the performance of the provincial governments in Sindh and Punjab.”
He emphasised the need to restore the constitution to its original form and said his movement stood with the current opposition to protect democratic norms. “We are with the opposition. We must protect the Constitution. It should be restored in its true shape.”
On foreign policy, Bhutto Jr said he believed there should be one state under the name of Palestine and not a two-state solution. He also voiced concern over human rights issues in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to state repression.
Bhutto Jr concluded by saying that the word “equality” from the PPP’s original slogan would be revived through their new platform. “There is not one Lyari in Pakistan, there are many. We will visit every province. We will return to the original values of the PPP, but not with the party in its current form.”
