New Political Party
Lahore: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, grandson of former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has formally announced his decision to launch a new political party. The new party, according to Bhutto Jr, will primarily focus on safeguarding the rights and interests of farmers, who he described as the “backbone of Pakistan’s economy.”
Speaking at a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club on Friday, Bhutto Jr laid out the core vision and philosophy behind the party, which he said would revive the original principles of Bhuttoism.
Accompanied by civil society activists and members of the Anjuman Mazarain Punjab—including noted activist Dr Ammar Ali Jan and farmer leader Ghulam Abbas—Bhutto Jr expressed deep concern over the deteriorating conditions of farmers across the country and the lack of real representation for them in mainstream politics.
Bhutto Jr, the son of the late Mir Murtaza Bhutto (founder of PPP-Shaheed Bhutto), sharply criticised the PPP, accusing it of straying from the original ideology of his grandfather. “The PPP has failed to uphold Bhuttoism,” he stated. “Our movement will raise the slogan of ‘Jiay Awam’ and focus on transferring power to the people in the true spirit of democracy.” He stressed that the new party would champion the causes of labourers and farmers, advocating for structural reforms and genuine devolution of power.
During the session, Bhutto Jr addressed several national issues, including his strong opposition to the controversial construction of six canals from the Indus River in the Cholistan region. He warned that such a project would drastically affect Sindh, which is already experiencing a critical water shortage.
He called for the establishment of a comprehensive national water distribution policy, based on the principles of the Sindh Accord, to ensure fair resource allocation among provinces.
He also dismissed the government’s “Green Pakistan” initiative, arguing that it was a guise under which land was being taken from farmers to benefit corporate interests. He condemned corporate farming practices and large-scale land leasing, stating they were causing widespread displacement and dispossession of small farmers.
Civil society figures present at the event echoed Bhutto Jr’s concerns. Dr Ammar Ali Jan and Ghulam Abbas criticised the government’s actions in issuing loan repayment notices to struggling farmers and called for an end to exploitative public-private partnerships.
The announcement of Bhutto Jr’s new political party comes at a time when the PPP continues to dominate Sindh’s political landscape, having held power in the province uninterrupted since 2008.
While the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), despite including prominent leaders such as Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, and Dr Safdar Abbasi, has failed to pose a significant challenge to PPP’s dominance, Bhutto Jr’s entry into politics—armed with the Bhutto legacy and a populist agenda—could reshape the province’s political dynamics.
With Bilawal Bhutto Zardari representing the current PPP leadership and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr positioning himself as a voice for the underrepresented, a new and potentially significant political contest appears to be on the horizon in Sindh.
