Poverty, hunger biggest threats to peace and harmony: Bilawal

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that poverty and hunger are the biggest threats to peace and harmony among the human race.

In his message on the eve of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty being observed on Wednesday under the aegis of United Nations, the PPP chairman said their party introduced revolutionary initiatives aimed at poverty reduction.

He said the PPP was struggling for a vision of a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Pakistan for all people and freeing them from hunger and helplessness under the philosophy of Benazir Bhutto that “freedom is not an end, it is beginning.”

Bilawal pointed out that PPP launched the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in 2009-10 for eradication of poverty and elevating the status of marginalised and underprivileged sections of society, especially women, through establishing a comprehensive social protection net.

The federal government led by President Asif Ali Zardari had initiated BISP with an amount of nearly Rs40 billion which has now crossed Rs125 billion, he added.

The PPP chairman further said that Sindh government started union council based poverty reduction programme( UCBPRP) in collaboration with non-profit organisations extending interest-free loans to women in selected districts.

The number of families who benefited and have been taken out of poverty rose to 600,000. They are now generating their own incomes through small businesses, he added.

Bilawal pledged that PPP would continue to prioritise poverty reduction through poor-friendly policies by extending UCBPRP to more districts, and shall replicate in other provinces whenever it comes to power.