People of GB remember Zulfikar Bhutto for abolishing FCR, introducing subsidies: Bilawal

GILGIT, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jul, 2026) Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the people of this region defeated the Dogra rule to gain independence, and joined Pakistan to this day, are waiting to be a part of it.

Addressing the oath-taking ceremony of the Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan, Amjad Advocate, Chairman Bilawal said that Pakistan responded to the struggle of the people of GB by imposing the FCR system.

The people of GB remember Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who abolished the FCR system, and introduced subsidy for the downtrodden masses of GB. When Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto got the opportunity, she laid the foundation for politics in GB. President Zardari also gave GB administrative rights and identity.

Chairman PPP said that along with the interim status, GB should attain constitutional rights. He said he wants to see the day when the representatives of GB are sitting alongside him in the National Assembly.

Bilawal stated that the PPP provincial government will implement its manifesto based on three core principles: the right to rule, the right to ownership, and the right to employment.

He advised the public to form farming collectives and utilize public-private partnerships once land ownership rights are fully granted.

The PPP Chairman assured that the new chief minister would provide government jobs strictly on merit.

Bilawal announced plans to hold local body elections in Gilgit-Baltistan before the onset of the winter season.

The PPP leader thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), and PTI-backed candidates for supporting the historic election of the Chief Minister.

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He assured the PML-N that the PPP would work cooperatively, ensuring the opposition does not feel excluded from governance. In GB, we will break this myth, and work together with other political parties.

Furthermore, the geo strategic importance of this region is evident to everyone. We would also like to salute the soldiers who are manning the toughest borders of the world in GB, Chairman Bilawal expressed. Those soldiers are protecting the lives of the people of GB and Kashmir, while facing India on the other side. The people of GB and Azad Kashmir do not only value the contribution of our soldiers, but are proud to host them.

Bilawal strongly condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, accusing it of attempting to destabilize Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, GB, and AJK through cross-border proxies. He noted that India is replicating failed Israeli tactics used against Iran.

The Chairman vowed that Pakistan would not compromise on the Indus Water Treaty, declaring that the people from GB to Sindh will defend the Indus River.

Bilawal invited all political parties in Azad Kashmir to participate in the upcoming elections. He announced that if PPP wins, the party will host a Joint Constitutional Convention for both AJK and GB to secure their political future without compromising their protected international status.

Concluding his address, the Chairman paid tribute to the Pakistan Army soldiers deployed along the world's toughest borders in GB and AJK, labeling both regions as the economic "Kohinoor" of Pakistan.