Bilawal warns of emerging 'dictatorship 2.0' engulfing country

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday expressed concerns over the mounting influence of a "new form of dictatorship" in the country, demanding the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to immediately announce the date of general elections.

During an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Constitution and organized by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Bilawal praised the SCBA's pivotal role in preserving the Constitution, highlighting its instrumental role in safeguarding democratic principles and human rights.

“The nation values this bipartisan struggle against dictatorship waged by the legal fraternity. This indeed raises our hopes in democracy and fighting dictatorship. We salute your courage and determination in the relentless struggle for the rule of law in Pakistan.”

When the dictators abrogated the Constitution in the past, the judiciary upheld this abrogation sometimes in the name of the ‘doctrine of successful revolution’ and sometimes in the name of the ‘doctrine of necessity’, said the PPP chief.

“One felt as if the soul of the state had been torn by those very luminaires who were supposed to protect and defend it,” he remarked. Chairman Bilawal said that he would not like to dwell more on it, as they say, “Forget the past, arrange for the present and face the future”.

Those who abrogated the Constitution and ridiculed it as merely a 15-page document and those who upheld the abrogation not only disgraced themselves but also heaped disgrace on the people and our nation, he maintained.

“They are the traitors of the nation and history will always remember them with this title. This is why it is important to safeguard the Constitution and relentlessly pursue those who have subverted it,” Bilawal emphatically added in his keynote speech.

However, the PPP chairman also commended a recent decision by the Supreme Court, in which it upheld the (Practice & Procedure) Act, 2023—a law enacted by parliament aimed at curbing the unilateral authority of the chief justice to determine benches and unilaterally initiate suo motu proceedings on matters of public significance without consulting other judges.

In a related context, Bilawal lamented that politicians frequently find themselves subject to judicial accountability.
He expressed hope that the apex court's validation of this legislation signalled the possibility of across-the-board accountability. He suggested that judges should also be prepared to face scrutiny and be held accountable.

The former foreign minister, who had previously lamented that polls were being postponed till the “return of just one individual”, said given the developments of the weekend, there should be no further delays.

He refrained from explicitly mentioning Nawaz’s name.

"Considering the recent events that transpired over the weekend, I am confident that there will not be any additional postponements." He went on to assert, "It must be made abundantly clear, ladies and gentlemen, that delaying elections equates to denying them."

Further reiterating his stance, the PPP chairman urged the ECP to promptly announce the election schedule, without any further procrastination.

Despite persistently demanding an election date and schedule since the previous National Assembly's term ended, he regretted that his party's efforts proved to be futile.

“Our right to have an election is absolutely indisputable,” Bilawal asserted, recalling that the PPP had made every sincere effort for political dialogue and consensus to resolve the deadlock over polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this year.

“Our aim was to reach a consensus on election days for the provinces of Punjab and K-P and general elections. Unfortunately, the events of May 9 stymied these efforts and today we find ourselves where we are,” he added.