FM says PPP against banning of any political party

Bilawal urges end to violent protests, asks PTI to 'not make matters worse', says ideologically opposed to NAB

KARACHI:

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday urged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to end its "violent protests” and decide whether it wanted to function as a political party or as a terrorist organisation.

Bilwal, also the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), made it clear that his party was neither jubilant over the arrest of any politician, nor did it support the banning of any political party.

Live: Chairman PPP and FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing a press conference at MCBH Karachi. https://t.co/Fvabmx8MlY

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) May 11, 2023

“The last two days were the dark days in the history of Pakistan,” the PPP chairman told reporters during a news conference at the Bilawal House in Karachi. The violent attacks carried out by the PTI had no precedent in the country, he added.

Bilawal was referring to the violent protests by the PTI supporters since the arrest of party Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday. During the violence, several public and private properties, including some sensitive installations, were damaged or destroyed.

“As far as I remember, one attack on the GHQ (General Headquarters of the army) was carried out by the banned TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and now by the PTI,” the foreign minister told the media.

“Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's house in Balochistan was attacked by the banned BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) and now another attack was carried out by PTI on the Jinnah House in Lahore,” he added.

Urging the PTI to end its "violent protests”, the foreign minister emphasised that the party would have to “decide whether it wants to function as a political party or as a terrorist organisation”.

He also asked the PTI "not to make matters worse".

Bilawal said that the PPP did not celebrate anyone's arrest, “because when a politician is arrested, the entire politics is affected”.

He also said that in principle, he was opposed to the ban on any political party.

However, emphasised that "such decisions are taken” keeping in view the prevailing circumstances.

"If such a decision is taken," he continued, "it would be taken because there would be no other choice left”.

Speaking about the charges against the PTI chairman, he stated that the allegations of corruption against Imran were of a serious nature.

He added that the former prime minister deceived his cabinet colleagues to get approval of the money received from the UK.

Read May 9 is history’s dark chapter: army

“The amount of £190 million was Pakistan's money, it was the money of the people of Sindh, which should have been returned to the people. But Imran Khan forced approval from the cabinet for Al-Qadir Trust,” he said.

The PPP chairman said that from the beginning, his party stood against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) but it was the former government of Imran that always defended the graft buster.

The abolition of NAB was part of the Charter of Democracy “but at that time, Imran Khan called it collusion”, he said. “The more the Peoples Party opposed NAB, the more the PTI supported NAB,” he added.

Bilawal also mentioned that NAB reforms was the demand of all the parties, which were in the opposition at that time, but Imran Khan “accused us of seeking the NRO” – a reference to the political amnesty given by then military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2007.

The PPP chairman emphasised that now when the establishment wanted to remain neutral, an opportunity had presented itself to all political parties to work within the political sphere. “Otherwise what happened in the past, may happen again.”

While thanking the people for giving historic victory to the PPP in the local bodies elections in Sindh, Bilawal said that the politics of hatred and division had been buried forever. He added that the party would celebrate the victory in Karachi on May 13.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon were also present on this occasion.

Meanwhile, addressing the closing session of a two-day international convention to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Constitution, Bilawal urged political parties to work together to safeguard the Constitution to ensure freedom of the nation and democracy.

He said the country did not define itself by the challenges it faced but by the way how the challenges were surmounted. “The nation saw abrogation of the Constitution by dictators, but the people resisted every single usurper and dictator,” he added.

He credited the masses for the restoration of democracy and the Constitution, saying that that the people had faced all forms of dictatorship and defeated them. He said his party faced the worst form of suppression but never transcended the constitutional limits.

“People of Pakistan have faced every dictator heads on. I believe that they will confront every dictator and suppressor again. We all must act together to protect the Constitution and have a firm belief in the parliamentarians and the people for preserving it.”

 (WITH INPUT FROM APP)