Bilawal rules out electoral cooperation with PTI

Says PPP will resist presentation of sixth budget by PML-N

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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday ruled out any electoral cooperation with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) to dent the ruling PML-N.

“There is no justification in forging alliance with the legacy of Musharraf in order to defeat (political) heirs of Ziaul Haq,” the PPP chairman said, referring to Imran Khan as Musharraf’s legacy.

Bilawal said his party will resist presentation of sixth budget in parliament by the incumbent PML-N government.



According to him, the PML-N had constitutional right to present five budgets, which it has already done and it should have left the next budget for the new government to be instituted after general elections.

Incumbent government plans to present the budget for FY2018-19 this Friday. Financial year in Pakistan starts from July 1. Elections are due in the country by end of July. Most opposition parties are of the view that PML-N should not be presenting budget for the whole financial year.

The opposition fears the outgoing government by announcing what is being tagged as a populous budget can get sympathies of people and cover up failures of its past five years.

Bilawal also echoed the same sentiments, saying, “Presenting the budget for the next year is tantamount to resorting to pre-poll rigging.”

He said chief ministers of the three provinces staged a walkout from a meeting of the National Economic Council on Tuesday to oppose ruling party’s budget plans.



To a question he said his party was in contact with other parties to nominate the caretaker setup.

However, he refrained from commenting on some of his key aides leaving the party, saying “the culture of turncoats is not a healthy trend for democracy”.

He advised the PML-N to shun the policy of confrontation with the state institutions and said that it would not augur well for the country.

He opposed scrapping of NAB at this juncture. “The PPP will rather improve the NAB laws,” he remarked.