Bilawal in damage control mode after controversial remarks

Foreign minister regrets statement and comments

ISLAMABAD:

For a moment on Sunday, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari forgot that he was the foreign minister and the chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) when he casually responded to some protesters shouting slogans for the release of a legislator at a conference by saying that they should demand his release from those who have the power to release him.

A day after briefly losing cool, the scion of the Bhutto family regretted that his statement and comments made at the Asma Jahangir Conference were inappropriate when he told the protestors that they were knocking at the wrong door.

The foreign minister also regretted the anti-army sloganeering in his and other key ministers’ and speakers’ presence, saying they were “highly inappropriate”.

The regret from the foreign minister has come after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned slogans shouted against the Pakistan Army at the conference. The views of Bilawal’s father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, were not much different from the prime minister as he has strongly condemned sloganeering against institutions at the Lahore event, saying no platform should be used against the institutions as the survival of the country depends on them.

During the foreign minister’s speech at the conference on Sunday, several people from the audience stood up and chanted slogans for the release of the incarcerated member National Assembly (MNA) from South Waziristan, Ali Wazir, who has long been behind bars over his controversial speeches.

When his speech was interrupted several times, Bilawal told the protestors to demand his release from those who have the power to release him – a tacit reference to the establishment or the army.

“You should go and protest in front of those who have the power to release him [MNA Ali Wazir],” Bilawal said.

In what appeared to be a turn towards damage control-mode, the foreign minister said that this government fully believes in human rights and freedom of expression but the slogans raised at the conference in Lahore were highly inappropriate.

“We, as a nation, have faced and fought terrorism. The army has combatted the terrorists valiantly,” Bilawal told reporters in parliament on Monday, saying that the army was on the target of terrorists and fighting them courageously while offering supreme sacrifices.

Referring to his comments “dangerous duffers”, the PPP chairman said that he was quoting the late Asma Jahangir but admitted that repeating what Asma had said was also not appropriate for him as a federal minister.

Bilawal said that “he does not want to create any misunderstanding at a time when institutions are transitioning from a controversial role into a constitutional role”. He reiterated that “we want to encourage this kind of transition and do not want to create any misunderstanding”.

Despite admitting that his views expressed at the conference were not appropriate, Bilawal felt that his views were not clearly presented in the media, saying that workers belonging to different parties were also shouting slogans at the conference.

He, however, conceded that he could have responded in a better way and with better selection of words. Political commentators believe that the anti-army slogans at a platform where political parties, judiciary and human rights activists were present have raised some eyebrows and pushed the premier and ex-president to issue statements condemning it.

“It is unfortunate that such forums are being used to target state institutions, especially the armed forces, for partisan political interests,” PM Shehbaz said.

In his statement, the ex-president, without naming anyone, said that it was a pity that one person has given nothing but abuse and hatred to this country.

Zardari said that “we all know where this person is coming from and at whose request he is spreading hatred against institutions”.

He also said that the soldiers and officers were sacrificing their lives in their uniforms and slogans against them were “highly condemnable".

Meanwhile, Bilawal, while speaking on the floor of the NA, condemning the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, said that it is being investigated and the acting foreign secretary was in touch with the Kenyan authorities and the High Commissioner in Pakistan.

“We all sympathise with the family of Arshad Sharif,” he said.

Talking to media persons, the PPP chairman said that he condoles with the family members, friends and colleagues of the journalist, saying that the Pakistani High Commission in Kenya was looking into this matter and PM Shehbaz has also spoken to the President of Kenya on the issue.

He said that Pakistan was waiting for the outcome of the investigation in Kenya for future course.

In addition, Bilawal welcomed the two newly-elected members of the NA, Ali Musa Gillani and Hakeem Baloch from Multan and Malir, respectively. He said that “we have fought the false propaganda and defeated the person who hurls baseless accusations towards every opposition party and its leaders”.

He also felicitated the Hindu community all over the world and especially in Pakistan on Diwali.