Bilawal opposes party bans, but urges responsible politics

Says PPP cannot be accused of being a beneficiary of Form 47

LAHORE:

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has once again opposed the idea of banning any political party but said political parties should also adopt a responsible political attitude.

Speaking to the media after visiting the house of late senior party worker Zubaida Jafri in Baghbanpura area of Lahore — where he offered condolences to the family on her demise — the PPP chief on Wednesday said it is the government's responsibility to give space to the opposition in politics.

"All political forces must play a serious role for the betterment of the country," he said.

The PPP chairman, however, also indirectly criticised Imran Khan's PTI, stating that despite the fact that Pakistan faces two-pronged threats from the eastern and western borders, "one political party" instead of standing with the armed forces against the country's opponents, consumed all its energies in trying to run down military chiefs and hatching conspiracies through social media.

"Instead of attacking national heroes, they should focus on issues and public service," he said.

Further doubling down on the PTI, he said the political party was trying to create a rift between the people and the army by playing the role of a "political antichrist."

"I am free. I can criticize the government and also praise it. Someone should go and tell these people that politics is not extremism."

He said the PTI's politics had proved detrimental even for themselves.

He added that if any political party supported terrorists, there could be a risk of governor's rule where the party was in power.

However, Bilawal said, he had not seen Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi's statement in this regard. The PTI rules over the K-P and the federal government has been threatening the party that imposition of the governor's rule in the province is not out of the question.

During the talk, Bilawal also took a veiled swipe at Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Expressing his lack of confidence in the Election Commission of Pakistan, he said election reform is a must before the next elections so that "no chief minister is accused of being a product of Form 47".

The PPP chairman, a key ally of the PML-N — led government, said neither government allies nor the opposition have any confidence in the ECP.

He urged parties on both sides of the aisle to work towards bringing election reforms. Bilawal once again alleged rigging in the DG Khan elections, saying that PPP candidate Dost Muhammad Khosa had won but was not declared the winner. He vowed to fight against this injustice.

Bilawal said neither he nor his party could be accused of securing a Form 47 victory — a euphemism used to describe an establishment-gifted seat where election results are allegedly changed.

He invited Maryam Nawaz and other PML-N leaders to come and contest elections from Sindh.

Bilawal said Afghanistan was playing into the hands of anti-Pakistan forces by providing shelter to terrorists and miscreants. He said the impression out there was that those involved in terrorist activities had the complete backing of Afghanistan's interim setup.

Later in the day, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari welcomed a former PTI leader and caretaker of a famous shrine into the party fold. Bilawal also held meetings with youth and student bodies and heard their suggestions and problems vis-à-vis improving their respective organizations.

The PPP chief is scheduled to visit Chiniot to offer condolences on the death of Hasan Murtaza's father. His departure will mark the end of his Lahore tour, as he is expected to return to Faisalabad from where he is likely to leave for Islamabad.

He was accompanied during the visit by Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nayyar Bukhari, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Faisal Mir, and Nargis Khan.