Bilawal warns govt against 'over-promising' on Afghanistan

PPP chairman says Pakistan will be scapegoated by international community if lasting peace not achieved in Afghanistan

KARACHI: As Prime Minister Imran Khan assures Washington Islamabad would do everything in its power for lasting peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto has warned the government against making promises it can't keep.

"The government must not make promises it will be unable to deliver on to the US and NATO," he told a press conference in Karachi on Wednesday.

"The US first plays hardball by coming in and expecting us to cut off all ties with banned groups to make us look like the villain, but when they come to negotiate they expect us to use very same links to help them strike a deal," he said.

The scion of the Bhutto political dynasty claimed the government had short-term goals and had agreed to all of Washington's conditions to please them.

"The prime minister should not overpromise on Afghanistan and pretend that we can solve all the problems there. In case we fail, we will be scapegoated," he said. "Despite the way he [Imran] has conducted himself there [in Washington], our party supports the government wanting to engage with different countries."

The PPP chairman added that Pakistan's interests could have been furthered if the prime minister went on these trips as the entire nation's representative.

"If he had reached out to the opposition we could have given him some of our suggestions," he said.

تاریخ میں پہلی بار ایسا ہوا کہ وزیراعظم بیرون ملک جاکر جلسے سے خطاب میں ملک کے مخالفین اور سازشیں کرنے والوں کو نشانہ بنانے کی بجائے حزب اختلاف جماعتوں کو نشانہ بناتے رہے۔ یہ ایک کمزور آدمی کی نشانی ہے جس کا نقصان ملک کو ہوتا ہے۔
چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی بلاول بھٹوزرداری

(2/4) pic.twitter.com/5lErbd7I2n

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) July 24, 2019

Bilawal said that instead of criticising Pakistan's real enemies, PM Imran chose to censure the opposition at his Washington 'jalsa'.

This showed, he added, that the prime minister was a "weak man" and a "united front should have been displayed."

Bilawal said after PPP’s victory in Ghotki by-election, it was time to remove incumbent Senate chairman Mohammad Sadiq Sanjrani.

“This seat, which was with the government, has now been shifted to opposition in National Assembly. They have lost one seat, which is clear message to puppets that they would face tough time ahead,” he said.

The PPP leader claimed that the government had been "throwing money" at senators in an attempt to nominate a chairman of the upper house of their choosing.

He called for the judiciary to take notice of the deteriorating health of incarcerated former premier Nawaz Sharif, adding that,"We demand that the government provide all citizens with their  basic rights."

July 25 protests

The PPP chairman also announced that the opposition would stage nationwide protests on Thursday to mark "black day when the mandate of the people was stolen".

He said that the PPP chief, as well as other opposition parties, wanted the public to come out in the capital cities of every province to mark the day.

"The entire nation will cry out against this government tomorrow...I promise you that," he added.

The PPP chairman said the entire nation knew that this government was selected and the public had clearly rejected it.

"I ask you [the public], who are being bludgeoned by this government's economic policies, I want to stand up for your rights, but I also need you to help me by coming out in force tomorrow," he implored.