Sunday, PPP kicked off its Awami March headed by the party’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The anti-government long march left from Karachi and is making its way to Islamabad. However, a disturbing video from the long march is making the rounds on social media.
Important to note, last month PPP announced the long march to protest against the incumbent government and its failure to control inflation. According to data by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), inflation reached another peak of 13% in January, making it the highest in nearly two years.
Moreover, the government also increased petrol prices several times. On February 15, the government increased the petroleum levy on all petroleum products by Rs4 per liter as per the commitment made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Therefore, to protest against the price hikes, the Opposition is launching long marches.
Read more: Fawad Chaudhry hits back at criticism over high petrol prices
PPP’s march began from Mazar-e-Quaid at 10 am on Sunday. Addressing the politically charged crowd, Bilawal said that the PPP has protested in the parliament and out in the streets.
Bilawal also posted a document that highlighted the purpose of the long march. The document said that farmers are facing starvation. Workers have no work. The shops of traders are being shut. Factories are being closed.
It also noted how women are feeling increasingly vulnerable and insecure. Religious minorities are under attack. Growing income inequality and disparity between the rich and poor are shaking the foundation of our society. The federation of Pakistan is under threat.
Why we march 1/2 #AwamiMarch pic.twitter.com/khQDQ2zwQ8
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) February 27, 2022
Sad state of affairs: Ali Haider Zaidi
While PPP protests against the PTI government and raises voice for the starving farmers, an unsettling scene from the long march surfaced on social media.
Sindh Assembly member Rabia Azfar Nizami shared the video showing people fighting over the free meal provided at PPP’s long march. The video shows people pushing and shoving each other as they lunge at the pot with their plates.
“Bhutto Zardari this is what you have done to the people of Sindh. This is the first day and at the end of the day for that one free meal promised by you in return to attend the PPP march. They deserved a better life,” Rabia Azfar tweeted.
Read more: Hindus in Sindh commit suicide as they fail to find food
Meanwhile, the Federal Minister of Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi retweeted the video and shared similar sentiments.
“Sad state of affairs! Our people deserve much better than this,” the Minister wrote.
Sad state of affairs! Our people deserve much better than this https://t.co/QbmNGyNBq7
— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) February 28, 2022
According to the federal government, the PPP-led provincial government desperately failed Sindh despite many years of governance. As a result, PTI also kicked off its Huqooq-e-Sindh March on 26th Feb against the ‘incompetent and corrupt’ PPP-led Sindh government.
The Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh said the PTI would hold a march from February 26 to expose the real face of the PPP that had deprived the people of Sindh of their all rights and basic facilities.