TNFJ announces electoral support for PPP

The Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafaria (TNFJ) announced unconditional suppot for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the coming general elections following talks between Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Allama Agha Syed Hussain Muqadasi.

After the announcement of the support was announced after a one-and-a-half-hours meeting between Bilawal and Muqadasi at the Maktab Shia Ali Mosque. After the announcement, the TNFJ instructed all its workers and supporters to vote for the PPP candidates on February 8.

Speaking at a joint media stakeout with Muqadasi, PPP Chairman Bilawal criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership, saying that they lacked an economic policy. He repeated his challenge to the PML-N leaders for a face-to-face debate with him.

He also complained that the PPP was not being given a level-playing field in the elections. “The maltreatment of those, who join our party is continuing. I hoped that the caretaker government of Punjab and the Election Commission [of Pakistan (ECP)] will take notice,” he added.

Separately, speaking at a ‘Dialogue with Students’ in Islamabad, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that a PPP government after the elections would abolish 17 federal ministries and end Rs1,500 billion subsidy being spent on the country’s elite.

Read more: Bilawal blasts ‘blood sucking lion’

“The federation has 17 [redundant] ministries which should have been abolished. The government does not have the money to run these 17 ministries,” Bilawal said in response to a question from a student. “After coming to government, we will end this subsidy and spend the money on the poor,” he added.

“Inflation, unemployment and climate change are important issues. To resolve these issues, I have prepared a manifesto. I have prepared the manifesto myself after sitting with the experts,” the PPP chief told the students.

Also read: Bilawal vows to end political imprisonment

“Pakistan is also suffering economic crisis and climate change. We will increase the budget to remedy this. Making the country climate resilient is our top agenda,” he said, adding: We will improve the economy by investing in agriculture sector through irrigation reforms.”

Bilawal emphasised that empowering the underprivileged class was the way forward to deal with the economic crisis of the country. He added that the capital which is being utilised on providing subsidies to the elites would be diverted to “empower our lower middle class”.