Bilawal says Nawaz won’t last 6 months

Warns against vote tampering; vows unity, relief

LARKANA:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari concluded his election campaign with a fiery speech in his hometown of Larkana, issuing stern warnings against vote tampering and launching veiled attacks on his political adversaries.

Addressing a charged crowd, Bilawal refrained from directly naming his rivals but offered a biting critique, singling out former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and referencing past controversies surrounding his ousting from office.With conviction, Bilawal asserted that should Sharif return to power for a fourth term, his tenure would likely be short-lived.

"If elected for a fourth term, within six months, he will face removal," Bilawal boldly stated, hinting at the instability that could characterize Sharif's potential leadership.

In addition to warning against the dangers of vote tampering, Bilawal issued a stern caution that any attempts to manipulate election results would provoke a robust response from the PPP. "They will forget Imran Khan if our votes are tampered with," he proclaimed, suggesting that his party would not hesitate to challenge any perceived electoral interference.

The rally at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Municipal Stadium in Larkana concluded the PPP’s election campaign for February 8 elections, which took Bilawal to all the provinces of the country, including several stops in Punjab, which offers more than half of the National Assembly seats.

Bilwal, who is the PPP candidate for the premiership should the party win the elections, set two immediate goals – uniting the country and providing relief to the masses. He claimed that only the PPP was capable of steering the country out of this difficult situation.

“Today, I have returned to my home after campaigning and touring the whole country,” he started his speech. It’s been a long time no one from Larkana has become the prime minister. When the people of Larkana elected prime minister, entire country developed. So, now it is Larkana’s turn,” he said.

“If you want to get out of the current crises, want economic stability and resolution of the problems, neither the Muslim League [PML-N] nor the PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] can do this. Only PPP can do this,” Bilawal told the crowd.

“Look at all the other political parties participating in the elections, they have become a thing of the past, playing their last innings. The old politicians, who are still in politics, know nothing but the politics of hate and division. They are endangering the country with their politics,” he charged.

With their stubbornness and ego, these old politicians have damaged Pakistan’s democracy, economy and the federation. If any of them gets the government again, they will start the politics of sit-ins the next day. They say something else before elections and do something else afterwards,” he continued.

He warned of the repeat of same old politics of hate and vendetta if rivals won the elections. He said that those who turned politics into personal enmity, wanted to sit in the prime minister’s chair for the fourth time to do what they had been doing previously.

“I am saying today, that if one of them wins, then instead of serving the people, they would start sit-ins the next day and take political revenge again. We have seen this movie three times and know what will happen the fourth time. Within six months, the same cry will start, why did you remove me?”

The PPP chief said that those who played with the country’s economy did not realise the difficulties of the masses. “These people have given nothing to the people in their manifestos. They are not worried about inflation, unemployment and poverty but they are worried about power,” he continued.

He added that a PPP government would do two things immediately after assuming power. “One is to end the politics of hate and division, as Pakistan should be united, not divided. The second task is to give relief to the people through the Public Charter of Economy [the PPP’s election manifesto],” he stressed.

Bilawal said that he had travelled all over the country while on the campaign trail. He predicted that Nawaz Sharif would lose the election from the NA-15 Mansehra in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. On the other hand, he added, he would win his seat from Lahore, the home of the Sharifs.

However, he added, regardless of the result, if the election were held transparently, the PPP would want this country to move forward to stability and development. “If my vote was stolen, I know who you are, I will come after you and then you will forget Imran Khan,” he warned.

Earlier, Bilawal praised the people of Larkana for remaining loyal supporter of the PPP and the Bhutto family. “I am grateful to the people of Larkana, the loyalty they have shown to me and my family and my party has made world history.”