Bilawal won’t allow panel to work if PPP’s ToRs ignored
PPP chairman once again asks PM to accept his four demands
PHOTO: AFP
SUKKUR:
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned that his party would not allow the judicial commission to work unless the terms of reference drawn up for the Pamamagate scandal are considered.
The Supreme Court on Nov 1 announced it will initiate a probe into the Panama Papers that revealed in April that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family members had stashed money in offshore companies.
The top court had also asked both the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PLM-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to submit their respective ToRs in the court.
Pakistan being run by an incompetent PM for last three years, says Bilawal
“And if the judicial commission did not work, then the PML-N government would also not be able to function,” Bilawal told participants at a public rally in Shadhani Darbar Reharki near Daharki in Sindh’s Ghotki district.
Terming Panamagate the world’s biggest corruption scandal, Bilawal said neither he and nor his ‘uncle [the PTI chief] Imran Khan’ were levelling allegations against the PM. “On the contrary, Panama Papers is a big scandal, which should be investigated democratically.”
Bilawal said during the opposition parties’ 2014 sit-in in Islamabad, the PPP had supported the prime minister for the sake of democracy and the ‘lion’ survived. “But, now we have to sacrifice the lion to save the democracy,” he in a reference to the election sign of the ruling party.
He once again asked the PM to accept the PPP’s four demands, claiming that otherwise he would be the loser. The PPP chief on Oct 16 demanded that the government re-constitute a parliamentary committee on national security, pass the Panama Bill drafted by the PPP, implement the resolution regarding the Chine-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and immediately appoint a foreign minister.
“If these demands are not met, I will announce a long march against the government on December 27 in Garkhi Khuda Bakhsh,” Bilawal had said.
Addressing the prime minister, he said: “Mian Sahib, you are the prime minister of a democratic country and not a king and therefore stop acting like a king.”
“The country is being run for the last three years by an incapable prime minister.”
Bilawal hints at hunting down ‘tiger’
Criticising government’s policies, he said the government had even made the multi-billion dollar CPEC project controversial. Certain parts of the country are getting the lion’s share in the development, while other are denied their due share, he claimed.
“In Lahore, Rs200 billion is being spent on the Orange Train, while for Karachi – which is the most populous city of Pakistan – only Rs12 billion has been allocated. Reminding the prime minister about his promise to provide funds for Tharparkar, he said the PM has forgotten his promise and so far not a single penny has been given for Thar and its people. “It is wrong to allocate a huge amount for one area and deprive the other. This discrimination will weaken the federation.”
He said the country was being run without a foreign minister for over three years and resultantly Pakistan is facing isolation in the world community.
Lambasting the PTI chief Imran Khan, he said: “Uncle, enough is enough. You always level allegations against my father [Asif Ali Zardari]. You even tried to put blame of October 2007 blasts upon my mother, Shaheed Benazeer Bhutto.”
“You talk about minus-one but now I will also talk about minus-one. When you [Imran] are no more, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed will head the PTI and will work better than you,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2016.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned that his party would not allow the judicial commission to work unless the terms of reference drawn up for the Pamamagate scandal are considered.
The Supreme Court on Nov 1 announced it will initiate a probe into the Panama Papers that revealed in April that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family members had stashed money in offshore companies.
The top court had also asked both the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PLM-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to submit their respective ToRs in the court.
Pakistan being run by an incompetent PM for last three years, says Bilawal
“And if the judicial commission did not work, then the PML-N government would also not be able to function,” Bilawal told participants at a public rally in Shadhani Darbar Reharki near Daharki in Sindh’s Ghotki district.
Terming Panamagate the world’s biggest corruption scandal, Bilawal said neither he and nor his ‘uncle [the PTI chief] Imran Khan’ were levelling allegations against the PM. “On the contrary, Panama Papers is a big scandal, which should be investigated democratically.”
Bilawal said during the opposition parties’ 2014 sit-in in Islamabad, the PPP had supported the prime minister for the sake of democracy and the ‘lion’ survived. “But, now we have to sacrifice the lion to save the democracy,” he in a reference to the election sign of the ruling party.
He once again asked the PM to accept the PPP’s four demands, claiming that otherwise he would be the loser. The PPP chief on Oct 16 demanded that the government re-constitute a parliamentary committee on national security, pass the Panama Bill drafted by the PPP, implement the resolution regarding the Chine-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and immediately appoint a foreign minister.
“If these demands are not met, I will announce a long march against the government on December 27 in Garkhi Khuda Bakhsh,” Bilawal had said.
Addressing the prime minister, he said: “Mian Sahib, you are the prime minister of a democratic country and not a king and therefore stop acting like a king.”
“The country is being run for the last three years by an incapable prime minister.”
Bilawal hints at hunting down ‘tiger’
Criticising government’s policies, he said the government had even made the multi-billion dollar CPEC project controversial. Certain parts of the country are getting the lion’s share in the development, while other are denied their due share, he claimed.
“In Lahore, Rs200 billion is being spent on the Orange Train, while for Karachi – which is the most populous city of Pakistan – only Rs12 billion has been allocated. Reminding the prime minister about his promise to provide funds for Tharparkar, he said the PM has forgotten his promise and so far not a single penny has been given for Thar and its people. “It is wrong to allocate a huge amount for one area and deprive the other. This discrimination will weaken the federation.”
He said the country was being run without a foreign minister for over three years and resultantly Pakistan is facing isolation in the world community.
Lambasting the PTI chief Imran Khan, he said: “Uncle, enough is enough. You always level allegations against my father [Asif Ali Zardari]. You even tried to put blame of October 2007 blasts upon my mother, Shaheed Benazeer Bhutto.”
“You talk about minus-one but now I will also talk about minus-one. When you [Imran] are no more, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed will head the PTI and will work better than you,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2016.