Address at a Public Meeting at Khairpur Mirs March, 1968

One of the principles of our party is to give equal rights to all its members to express their views and to aspire to assume leadership. That is why we have never had party feuds on holding offices, nor have we had any row on party elections. The basic principle of our party is equality. To err is human. I am not infallible. I have, therefore, told my party men to stop me whenever they find I have done wrong. They are free to check me without fear. It is only in this spirit that party unity and party spirit can be strengthened.

Islam is our religion. Pakistan could not have been brought into being without the Islamic spirit. The most important principle of our party is Islam. There is simply no room for any argument on this.

Democracy is our politics. Without democracy Pakistan would not have been formed. Had there been no democracy the same old exploiters and capitalists would have started ruling us. We have to struggle for the restoration of democracy because democracy alone can ensure protection to the rights of the poor masses.

And socialism is our economic programme. Islam and socialism are not incompatible. They don’t run counter to each other. The Quaid-i-Azam is on record for having pleaded for a socialist economy for Pakistan in his speeches in Bombay, Delhi and, after the creation of Pakistan, in Chittagong. I can’t understand why there should be any difference between the basic Islamic principles and socialist ideas, particularly when we have before us clear injunctions on this question by the Father of the Nation.

We have embarked on our party work. In November last, at the time of the announcement about the setting up of our party, we had given a very clear, unambiguous manifesto to the nation. We put forward certain procedures and made some promises. You may well say you have heard these promises being made in the past. But we have explained the ways and means of implementing our promises. I am confident that our visit to East Pakistan will prove successful. We are hopeful of its success because ours are national principles. They are based on national interests. When I started my tour of the Punjab and, even before that, the official propaganda machinery would suggest that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his party had the support of the Punjab alone. They said Bhutto had no following in Sindh. All those Ministers—whom I have given the names of “Messrs Good for Nothing”—passing through here, would say Bhutto had no support in Sindh. I would just ignore these things. Because in democracy you need not reply to each and everything. Time, as they say, provides the right answer. Moreover, I did not feel the need for replying to that kind of propaganda because with, the credit of having served the whole of the country, I have to my credit service to this area, because, after all, I belong to this area. I have not come from Kenya that I should have no following in Sindh. I have served equally all sections of the population in Sindh, including the Muhajirs and the Sindhis. I have treated all of them alike. So, having served the whole of the country, I fully believe that I will succeed in Sindh and that Sindh will fully support me.

After completing the current tour, I will visit NWFP. As a matter of fact, I have already been there. There, too, our party is working well. However, difficulties are bound to come. As a great statesman has said politics and revolutions are not feasts. So difficulties there will be, and we will face them with courage. That is how you are tried. There are no shortcuts in politics, although sometimes someone manages to grab power through the backdoor. But time again has proved that such things do not last long.

As you know, the present Government claims there is stability in the country—political stability and political integrity. Well, stability there is, but it is the stability that prevails in a graveyard, stability of corruption, of exploitation. This Government is not being run in accordance with the Constitution in force in the country.

Under this Constitution, the Speaker is not entitled to administer the oath of office to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. If you look at the Constitution, this can be done only by the President or, in his absence, by the acting President. Also this Constitution does not make provision for a senior Minister to preside over cabinet meetings. There is no concept of joint ministerial responsibility because the Constitution does not provide for a parliamentary system.

Another feature of this Constitution is that when the President falls ill the acting President should take a similar oath of office. That proves that the so-called stability has been maintained through an arbitrary system and by violating the Constitution. Would you call this stability?

It is said that we are hankering after power. If fools can wield power for eight years, there is no reason why people such as us should not come into power. We have been working for and serving this country. Power is nobody’s monopoly. It is not supposed to remain with the present incumbents forever. Why should they love power so much that they don’t seem to be willing to leave it even when there is hatred against them all over the country? They do not act according to their own Constitution. They have made enormous mistakes. They have been cornered. Even then they accuse others of hunger for power.

Had I been so hungry for power I would not have left the Government. I did not leave the Government for reasons of health. I was not sick. Had I been power-hungry, I would have gone along with the Government’s policies. I did not disgrace myself, and preferred to leave office.

We do not know who actually is ruling the 100 million people of Pakistan. As to who takes important decisions, nobody knows. As for the 80,000 Basic Democrats, they have been secretly coming to us to say that they will vote for us. And these members of National and Provincial Assemblies, who have now come to know the ‘malady’ with which the country is afflicted, volunteered to take oaths on the Quran that they will vote for us. You can even ask the Government servants in uniform. No one can claim monopoly over the people. They are with us. They hate the Government, because the Government hates them. Don’t be disappointed. Troubles there will be. We will face these troubles. We shall prevail.