LAHORE: Asserting that political demonstrations must never hold public life hostage, former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) central Punjab President Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has declared that while protests, sit-ins, and processions are fundamental democratic rights, they must remain strictly peaceful.
Addressing media representatives following an executive meeting on Monday, the PPP leader warned against inflaming public rhetoric and urged all political entities to present their positions through calm deliberation inside Parliament rather than imposing opinions through disruptive street actions. He was apparently referring to Jamaat-i-Islami’s ongoing ‘super long march’ and PTI’s scheduled march on Islamabad on Sept 27.
The meeting brought together senior party stalwarts to discuss organisational growth and the upcoming local government elections. The organisational session coincided with the birthday of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, which party leadership and workers commemorated together during the proceedings.
Conceding that the party is actively solidifying its presence across Punjab, Ashraf stressed that the public remains the PPP’s primary strength.
Addressing wider macroeconomic headwinds, he drew attention to the international fallout from the US-Iran conflict, highlighting its direct impact on global energy markets. He noted that as an oil-importing nation, Pakistan faces immense fiscal pressure and cannot realistically absorb inflated global fuel costs to subsidise domestic prices indefinitely.
While welcoming government relief initiatives, he maintained that constructive criticism of policy missteps remains vital, calling on political commentators to ground their arguments in economic reality rather than emotional rhetoric.
In a stern warning, he characterised extreme political posturing such as rhetoric referencing turning the capital into historic battlegrounds like Somnath as deeply regrettable and harmful to national stability.
Reflecting on his party’s history, the former prime minister recalled that while the PPP has led numerous long marches and navigated their consequences, the primary duty of any government remains safeguarding public life and property. Given that Pakistan’s current challenges far outweigh its available resources, he called on all political factions to prioritise national harmony, expand economic capacity, and preserve constitutional norms.