Islamabad January 15, 2005: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto expressed concern over the rising instability in the province of Balauchistan and said that following the unrest in Waziristan, the writ of state was being challenged in Balauchistan .

She was talking to a delegation of Pakistan community who had called on her to offer congratulations on the release of former Federal Minister Senator Asif Ali Zardari.

The former Prime Minister said that there were reports that the problems around Sui, which provided gas to cities across Pakistan, arose over the rape of a lady doctor.

Condemning crimes against women she said that this crime was all the more serious as it was alleged that a person in uniform led the assault.

She called for a judicial inquiry and suspension of the official and others involved in the attack pending the inquiry. Mohtarma said that incidents involving clashes between the population at large and of personnel in uniform was not good for the image of the army amongst the population.

It was important to restore the image by taking firm action against such violators of law. In this connection, she mentioned that officials involved in Okara Military Farms Scandal, Badin Fisheries Scandal and Balauchistan Lady Doctor Scandal need to be proceeded against through an open and transparent inquiry to restore public confidence.

Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said that the natural disaster in the form of Tsunami was felt deeply by people of Pakistan. She said that the people of Pakistan mourned with the families of those affected. She said that this natural calamity had destroyed the lives of millions of people while millions others were still threatened by disease and malnutrition following the devastation.

She noted that people of Pakistan, including students, had been donating generously for Tsunami victims. She called upon the world community to make a full program for relief and rehabilitation
of the Tsunami victims.

The former Prime Minister also called upon Islamabad to review tidal wave and earthquake warning systems around Pakistan and in the sea bordering the country's coastal belt. She noted that those countries which had flourishing mangroves were not so affected by Tsunami.

She called upon the regime to take immediate measures to restore the diminishing mangroves of the coastal belt of Pakistan. She recalled that as Patron of the Environment, Senator Asif Ali Zardari had taken many measures to safeguard the environment. However, after overthrow of the PPP government, the pro environment measures had been abandoned. She said that the terrible Tsunami was a warning to all countries, and especially Pakistan, to take oversee its own care of nature as well as warning systems to protect the people and the land from devastation.

The former Prime Minister also expressed concern over the spread of a skin disease named leshminiasis, which is spreading rapidly in the southern province of Sindh. The disease is spreading havoc due to lack of medical facilities. She called for providing swift medical assistance to prevent the spread of the disease and up gradation of the medical institutes and hospitals of Pakistan to help ordinary people of the country lead healthy lives.

She said that the PPP was committed to increasing health expenditure as well as other social expenditure adding that the hallmarks of all PPP governments were greater attention to the social welfare of the masses, which is what made PPP the most popular party in the country.

She said that despite the persecution PPP faced as a popular party upholding the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan to health, education, employment and fundamental rights, PPP was still determined to be the voice of the people.

Top