‘I will use democratic means to oust PM’

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday reiterated his longstanding line against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s rule and said the latter was “imposed on Pakistan to destroy its economy, politics and foreign policy”.

“The undemocratic premier will be booted out through democratic means,” the PPP chairperson expressed his resolve while addressing a public rally in Dargai, Malakand, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Lambasting PM Imran and his government for “ruining the country’s economy and foreign policy”, Bilawal announced that no undemocratic move will be adopted to oust the prime minister.

“We will face this undemocratic person through democratic means,” Bilawal said.

“We will treat the umpire’s finger with the thumb by voting and I will not use any undemocratic means to drive this puppet out.”

The PPP chairman said that PM Imran has lost his majority and his government was ending, saying “Imran Khan is now the ‘former prime minister”.

He then called him “a coward” who is running from a challenge. ‘Khan of Funny Gala’ The Bhutto scion’s speech was also noticed for the red-meat rhetoric he sprinkled into his speech to describe PM Khan – ironically in the same breathe he called out the prime minister for using coarse language for the opposition leaders.

In a tongue-in-cheek attack on the premier, Bilawal used words such as “animal”, “barbarian”, “rat” and “Khan of Funny Gala”.

Besides, he also doubled down on his epithets like “selected”, “incompetent”, “puppet” and, the newly-added title “former prime minister”.

Responding to the premier’s earlier remarks where he had asked Bilawal’s father, ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, to at least teach his son Urdu, Bilawal retorted that PM Imran should teach Urdu to his sons, who are living in the United Kingdom.

Subsequently, while calling him a “rat” – a word that PM Imran uses for his father along with other opposition leaders – Bilawal said that PM Imran calls himself “Khan” but questioned, “how is he a Khan”.

Emphasizing that “Khans are brave and courageous,” Bilawal quipped that “he [PM Imran] can only be a Khan of Funny Gala.”

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‘Will not attack any institution’ In his speech, Bilawal emphasised that he will not resort to attacking any institution and nor will he go to the court in a black coat – a tacit reference to former premier Nawaz Sharif who, who donning a black suit had approached the Supreme Court to demand an inquiry into Memogate scandal.

The PPP leader vowed that he would not go to Gate no. 4 – one of the gates of the General Headquarters of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi commonly referred to tease rivals for seeking army’s help in politics – saying his grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had taught PPP that “all powers to the people”.

After using different adjectives for PM, Bilawal lamented the language PM Imran uses against JUI-F and PDM’s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Expressing that it was the sign of a defeated man, he said that the nation wants the prime minister to focus on inflation which used to be a priority during PPP’s cabinet meetings while in power.

“He prioritises abusive language over inflation,” he regretted, saying PM Imran accuses opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif of polishing boots when “he himself has polished to the extent that no polish is left.”

“Imran abuses with the same tongue that he uses to talk about Riasat-e-Madina,” he added, reminding the premier that the Islamic state was based on justice and morals.

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“How can this be Riasat-e-Madina when Imran’s state is running on abuses and magic while being anti-people,” Bilawal said, lamenting that the farmer and labourer were sleeping on an empty stomach in his tenure.

“This man [PM] has been sent to destroy Pakistan as per a scheme,” Bilawal said, saying it was a scheme to send him to ruin the economic and foreign policies.

“How can he come to Malakand and say that the foreign policy of India is successful while being the prime minister,” he questioned.

While further asking “if India’s foreign policy is to ruin the CPEC, this man successfully did so; if this is India’s policy, it is his policy too,” he said.

Bilawal alleged that PM made his ministers talk negatively about the CPEC.

He further said that PM cannot even give an answer to the foreign-funding case as it has been proven that he obtained funds from Israel and India.

“Bowing to the IMF and weakening Pakistan before the world is Imran’s conspiracy against the country,” he said, “what greater foreign conspiracy is there than Imran campaigning for Modi in the Indian elections while being a prime minister”.

Bilawal recalled that PM used to say that Modi winning would benefit the Kashmir cause. He vowed to get rid of PM soon.

On corruption, Bilawal said the country has been hearing PM talking about corruption for a long time yet he refuses to answer questions about his own corruption in different cases.

“His father was sacked by the Quaid-e-Awam – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto – on corruption and that is why he accuses all others of corruption,” Bilawal said, saying PM does not answer the questions raised over the billions of rupees’ worth of buildings bought by Aleema Khan – PM Imran’s sister.

“Imran Khan has to go for the country to progress,” he said.