Bilawal vows to resist victimisation in the guise of accountability

PPP chairman accuses PTI govt for economic terrorism and stealing Sindh's money

HYDERABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said the party's train march in Sindh has brought about screams in the Prime Minister (PM) House in Islamabad. "How will they react when we will set off for the long march?" asked Bilawal as he addressed the PPP supporters standing at the railway station in Nawabshah district on Wednesday.

On his way to Larkana, where the PPP will organise its annual public meeting on April 4 to commemorate Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's death anniversary, Bilawal's train arrived in Sukkur later in the day. Few hours before Bilawal was set to leave from Nawabshah, a cracker bomb exploded near Bandhi railway station, damaging one foot part of the upcountry track. The station master Pervez Akhtar said that the track was immediately repaired.

Reiterating his objection to the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) actions, he said NAB was being used to make and break the governments. He said former president Pervez Musharraf created the bureau and that it was being run by Musharraf's remnants.

Bilawal emphasised on creating a new accountability organisation whose by-laws will enable to conduct an across the board accountability in the country. "If we want to end corruption we will have to create an organisation where justice is done and not revenge is taken, where true accountability is done and where there is one law for all Pakistanis whether they belong to Larkana or Lahore or they are generals, judges or politicians."



He maintained that the PPP is not opposed to accountability but at the same time the party cannot tolerate political victimisation and political engineering in the guise of accountability. "What do they think through NAB gardi they can pressurise or intimidate us. Do they think the grandson of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto will surrender or son of Benazir Bhutto can be frightened?"

The PPP chairman reminded PM Imran Khan of his past promises that he will not spare any big thief and asked him to explain why the process of accountability has been stalled in K-P where there is no dearth of such big thieves. "This government has been formed by stealing the vote. When will accountability of the vote theft be done? When will the benami PM be held accountable? When Aleema Khan will be held accountable?"

Bilawal also criticised Khan for reneging his other promises that he would not beg and that he would prefer committing suicide over taking loan from International Monetary Fund (IMF). "Now wherever he goes, he starts begging and asking for charity. Someone should help him understand that economy is not run by charity or magic."

The PPP's leader accused the PM for stealing Rs120 billion of Sindh which the province was supposed to receive under the National Finance Commission award. He told the people that the withheld sum of money was collected through their taxes and supposed to be spent on the development projects and for creating employment in Sindh. Bilawal, however, asserted that the PPP's Sindh government will not let the Centre to utilise the province's funds in the Centre.

"The tabdeeli government has unleashed economic terrorism. Expensive electricity, expensive food and this is new Pakistan." He said the PPP will not tolerate the rollback of either the 1973 Constitution or the 18th Constitutional Amendment adding that the two constitutional developments became possible after sacrifices of the party's leaders and workers.

Shooting back at the federal ministers whom Bilawal accused for having links with the banned outfits, he questioned if a joint investigation team can probe the bills of his breakfast and laundry, why the relation of the federal ministers with the banned outfits is not investigated.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2019.