Bilawal lashes out at judiciary for 'legal missteps'

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accused the judiciary on Friday of stirring up a storm in a teacup and transforming it into a full-blown constitutional crisis.

He charged that the last-minute move by the judiciary had thrown a lifeline to a dead political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), by stripping it of its election symbol and thereby reviving its fortunes.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Bilawal criticised the higher judiciary's actions both before and after the general elections, particularly concerning the allocation of reserved seats.

He likened the judiciary's distribution of these seats to handing out "candy," with no regard for the democratic process.

"In Pakistan currently, a storm in a teacup is being transformed into a full-blown constitutional crisis," he said, "not me, not the speaker, not the members,

PM or the Parliament but the judiciary itself is responsible for this crisis."

He further added that "this is a crisis of the judiciary, by the judiciary and for the judiciary."

During his speech, the PPP chairman said that the Leader of the Opposition in NA Omar Ayub should be asked whether it was the ruling political parties who snatched PTI's iconic 'bat' symbol.

Bilawal then answered himself by saying that it was the court that stated that their internal elections were rigged which is why they could not get a symbol and would not be considered a political party.

"This last-minute decision benefitted a dead political party, with no election campaign," Bilawal said, saying "it mobilised it [PTI]."

Referring to recent clarification by the Supreme Court that this was not the intention behind depriving the PTI of the bat symbol, Bilawal quipped: "A decision then was made to distribute the seats amongst them as if they are candy."

As long as the country does not adopt the Constitution, law and a democratic demeanour, and its institutions do not work within their boundaries, Bilawal maintained, the purpose behind building this city – Islamabad – and lawmakers' presence would remain futile.

"Our only advice would be for political discourse to take place to reclaim the space of politicians sans the political hatred and division," he said.

Meanwhile, while speaking in the assembly, Bilawal said that the country was witnessing a plethora of crises, and has not been able to effectively address issues such as inflation and worsening law and order. "We are not even able to form the bare minimum consensus on protecting the country from terrorism," he regretted.

While further regretting that "we are hurling insults at each other on the television", Bilawal urged that we would have to devise a way to compete with each other within political domains and try to resolve the issues faced by the people.

The political workers are closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh, Bilawal said, while citing an example. The protests that erupted there were over a quota for the martyrs of their Army, he said, adding the quota had been removed by ex-PM Sheikh Haseena Wajid herself in 2018 but was restored by the court.

"The protests could not be stopped and Hasina Wajid had to leave her post," Bilawal said, "the entire region should learn from this and address the real issues of the people."

Chairman Bilawal said that the crisis of the month is the distance between institutions, noting that it is being created by the continuous interference of "an institution [judiciary] with this institution [Parliament]".

The history of the judiciary is before the entire country. He said, "Our judiciary has also broken world records; Pakistan's judiciary is so capable that it not only runs the court but also builds dams." "The judiciary can even combat inflation and set the prices of tomatoes and samosas," he said, "no judiciary in the world can compete with our judiciary."

Chairman Bilawal said that the citizens of the country still await justice but "we are thankful to the judiciary to have given us justice after a three-generation long struggle on our end, that began with Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's martyrdom."

The judiciary admitted that he was not given a fair trial, he said, but they could not take any clear steps to right this wrong.

Bilawal called for consensus in the House over supporting youth in Pakistan, as they are capable of achieving such accolades. In Lyari alone, he said, every other youngster is capable of bringing home the FIFA World Cup due to the influx of talent.

He said that recently, he met young girls in Peshawar who are competing in Taekwondo from DI Khan and bringing medals for Pakistan.

"It is unfortunate that neither the federal government nor the provincial government provided the necessary support," he noted, "in the next Olympics, every province of Pakistan should win a medal."

He also advised the federal minister for sports to establish an endowment fund in collaboration with all provincial ministers for this purpose.

Bilawal said that the talents of the Pakistani youth and the skills of the labour have turned vast deserts such as the Middle East into major cities.

He said that there is every possible resource available within Pakistan. Islamabad was made only to serve the people of the country, he said, these buildings house the biggest institutions of the country.

There is the presence of an entire battalion of bureaucracy in the country along with all the politicians and other powerful entities. However, he noted, that ever since this city was made, we have never fulfilled the purpose for what it was created.

"We begin concocting conspiracies and fighting amongst one another," Bilawal said, "we keep bearing losses due to the infighting between politicians and the adventurism of the military generals."

"The politics of hate and division is at the peak, he regretted, "with unprecedented polarization."

 

Fazl calls for political restraint

 

Meanwhile, speaking during the session, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for unity and respect for traditions of avoiding political talks in the presence of foreign dignitaries.

"Today, the Imam of Masjid al-Nabawi is present among us. On such occasions, political debates should take a back seat to honour our guests and uphold our traditions," he stated.

He further said, "While we may criticise each other in this House, this was not the appropriate moment for such exchanges."

"As an opposition member, I apologise to our Saudi guests for the atmosphere that has been created here today. Our focus should be on the relationship between our two nations and on mutual respect."

He reiterated Pakistan's longstanding support for Saudi Arabia, acknowledging it as an important ally in the Muslim world.

"Saudi Arabia has the right to lead the Islamic world, and we consider them our foremost friend on the international stage. Together, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia can play a crucial role in addressing the issues of Kashmir and Palestine," he said.

Mustafa Kamal, an MQM member, also expressed his regret over the conduct of certain discussions in the presence of foreign dignitaries.

 

"This House must reduce bitterness and refrain from engaging in such discourse while our honourable guests are present. We need to find a path forward on difficult decisions through consultation," he urged.

 

Mehmood Khan Achakzai, in his address, warmly welcomed the Saudi ambassador and the Imam of Masjid al-Nabawi to the Parliament.

 

"Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are like two brothers. The land of Pakistan is the land of our Saudi brothers," he declared while condemning Israel as the "murderer of Palestinian children."

 

He echoed the call for collaborative efforts between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in resolving the issues of Palestine and Kashmir.