By Our Correspondent
SKARDU — Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari launched an aggressive election campaign in Skardu on Tuesday, promising greater political rights, economic opportunities, housing schemes and ownership of natural resources for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan if his party forms the next regional government.
Addressing a large election rally at Skardu’s main bazaar, Bilawal said his relationship with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan extended beyond politics and had been built over generations. He said that during previous campaigns he travelled extensively throughout the region and claimed no other political leader had visited as many areas of Gilgit-Baltistan as he had.
The PPP chairman said the current campaign was taking place under difficult circumstances compared with previous elections, referring to regional tensions and recent violence. He condemned killings in Iran and highlighted conflicts affecting people across the Middle East, saying the party believed diplomacy and peace remained the only path forward.
“The Pakistan Peoples Party believes in peace and opposes war,” Bilawal said, adding that continuing conflicts were creating economic hardship and inflation that particularly affected younger generations.
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Focusing heavily on economic issues, Bilawal defended the party’s welfare programmes and promised further expansion of social protection initiatives. He praised the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), saying attempts to end support for poorer families would fail and suggesting allocations could increase in the upcoming federal budget.
He contrasted PPP policies with those of rival parties, arguing that his party focused on farmers, labourers and low-income communities rather than wealthy elites.
Bilawal also used the rally to highlight PPP’s historical role in national defence, claiming the party had contributed significantly towards Pakistan’s nuclear and missile capabilities. He credited former leaders with strengthening national security and said Pakistan’s defence remained strong because of those foundations.
Much of his speech centred around Gilgit-Baltistan’s constitutional, economic and political future. He argued that the region should receive rights comparable to provinces under the 18th Amendment and stressed what he described as three fundamental principles: governance rights, ownership rights and employment rights.
According to Bilawal, natural resources found within Gilgit-Baltistan should primarily benefit local communities. He argued that granting ownership rights could transform the regional economy similarly to how coal projects contributed to development elsewhere.
He further promised housing schemes, healthcare expansion and infrastructure investment, pointing to welfare and public health projects launched in Sindh as examples his party wanted to replicate.
Bilawal also emphasised climate resilience, saying flood-related challenges affecting Gilgit-Baltistan required long-term planning and stronger infrastructure. He pledged that women would remain central beneficiaries of future housing programmes.
As the speech concluded, Bilawal urged voters to support PPP candidates across multiple constituencies in upcoming polls scheduled for June 7, arguing that a strong electoral mandate would allow the party to implement its agenda for Gilgit-Baltistan.
He also introduced party leader Aseefa Bhutto Zardari to supporters in Skardu, saying he hoped the people of Baltistan would extend the same support to her that they had shown to the party in the past.
