Skipping US democracy summit was a mistake: Bilawal

KARACHI:

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday took an exception to Pakistan’s decision of not attending the US-hosted virtual democracy summit, saying the country was not in a position to "deprive" itself of any forum.

The Biden administration had invited leaders from over 100 countries to attend the summit on December 9 and 10.

Pakistan was among only four countries from South Asia that were invited to the forum. Others included India, Maldives and Nepal.

China and Russia were excluded from the invitees while Taiwan was extended the invitation, drawing a strong reaction from Beijing.

Also read: LG laws amended amid chaos

It is believed that exclusion of China and President Biden's move to continue to ignore Prime Minister Imran Khan made it difficult for Islamabad to attend the summit.

Addressing a news conference in Karachi, Bilawal maintained that Pakistan was not in a position to "deprive" itself of any summit and opined that the decision was a “mistake” at foreign policy level.

"Even if an ally raises objections, we can raise their views and our views [at the forum] but we should never cede space," he said.

Deliberating on other issues, Bilawal said that the newly-enacted local government laws in Sindh were better than the ones in place in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.

The amended local government bill was passed by the Sindh Assembly on Saturday amid protest by opposition parties as their members tore copies of the agenda and created pandemonium throughout the session.

Another crucial and related development was the handing over of the Sindh Solid Waste Management to metropolitan/municipal corporation mayors.

Opposition parties including MQM, PTI and JI had strongly criticised the new law which they claimed would deprive urban centres of their rights.

Also read: Bilawal pledges to win back Punjab

Taking a jibe at the MQM, the scion of the Bhutto dynasty said PPP had always raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans, unlike others who chanted anti-Pakistan slogans.

"I've always seen you (MQM) involved in terrorism ever since I was born," Bilawal said, adding that, "Those who're calling our local bodies bill a black law will have their faces blackened".

The PPP chairperson alleged that former Karachi mayors including Mustafa Kamal and Wasim Akhtar had done nothing for the city but destroyed its peace.

“They [opposition parties] are losing their senses [over PPP's local bodies law]. Now, no bat or any other slogan will work… it is time for the slogan of the arrow to rule.”

According to him, PPP is progressing in Lahore. "People of large cities of the country are looking towards PPP and they intend to vote for us," he claimed.

Bilawal said his party’s government had transferred maximum powers to local government divisions and “this is why people want to give us an opportunity to serve them”, he maintained.

He added that those who criticised the local bodies’ law could do so, but it was not right to lie about it.

Also read: APC rejects local government law amendments

“This law is better than the one introduced by Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf and the one introduced in the year 2013,” he said.

Bilawal said PPP had made all departments subordinate to the local government. He maintained that the provincial government had devolved more powers to LGs than was done in the Mustafa Kamal era.

He said PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was the “strongest civilian president” in the country, yet he devolved more powers to the grass-root level. “He devolved the municipal and political powers to the local bodies’ representatives.”

The PPP chief also vowed to make the province’s health and education departments exemplary.
“We reject the health card of the federal government,” Bilawal said, adding that “It is tantamount to burglary on the government hospitals.”

“Show me one hospital in K-P and Punjab that’s at par with Sindh's NICVD (National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases),” he said.