Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr, grandson of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has unveiled plans to launch a new political party aimed at representing the agricultural community and protecting the rights of farmers.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club, Bhutto Jr emphasized that the new political platform would stand with the country’s farmers the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and work toward the devolution of power, economic justice, and the protection of land rights.
“The core mission of our party is to uphold the philosophy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, which PPP has failed to implement,” said Bhutto Jr, adding that his party would carry the slogan “Jiay Awam” (Long live the people) and be rooted in the principles of Bhuttoism, centered on empowering the working class.
He was joined by prominent civil society activists and farmer leaders including Dr Ammar Ali Jan and Ghulam Abbas of Anjuman Mazareen Punjab, who also addressed the press and voiced their support for Bhutto Jr’s vision.
Zulfikar Jr is the son of the late Mir Murtaza Bhutto, who founded PPP-Shaheed Bhutto in 1993 and served as an MPA in Sindh until his assassination in 1996.
Addressing water politics, Bhutto Jr criticized the proposed construction of six canals from the Indus River in Cholistan, warning it would worsen the water crisis in Sindh. He called for a national water distribution framework, modeled on the Sindh Accord, to ensure fairness across provinces.
Bhutto Jr also rejected the “Green Pakistan” initiative, saying it had become a tool for land acquisition under the guise of development. “Farmers are being displaced and exploited in the name of corporate farming,” he said, adding that large tracts of agricultural land are being leased away, undermining small landholders.
Touching on constitutional matters, Bhutto Jr reiterated his firm stance on the 18th Amendment, saying there must be no compromise on provincial autonomy and power must be truly devolved to the people.
Civil society representatives echoed Bhutto Jr’s concerns, particularly around loan recovery notices issued to farmers and public-private partnerships that they claim are exploitative.
The announcement comes as a potential political challenge to the PPP, which has dominated Sindh politics since 2008. While alliances like the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) which includes veteran leaders such as Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, and Dr Safdar Abbasi have failed to mount a serious threat to PPP’s grip on the province, Bhutto Jr’s entry into the political arena could reshape the landscape.
With Bilawal Bhutto Zardari leading PPP and Zulfikar Jr now stepping forward as a rival claimant to the Bhutto legacy, Sindh’s political future may be heading for an intriguing generational showdown.
