Political alliance in the making?: Bilour hints at possible ANP, PML-N coalition

Addresses regional cooperation at gathering in Muzaffargarh.

MULTAN:

The controversial Minister for Railways, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, announced on Thursday the Awami National Party (ANP), part of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government, could join hands with the main opposition party in the upcoming elections.

Bilour said his party, the ANP, could form a political coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) in the upcoming general elections if the ruling PPP failed call for one. He was speaking to the media at the Multan airport while on his way to address a gathering in Muzaffargarh.

Addressing recent statements by the chief justice of Pakistan and the chief of army staff, the minister said that a conflict between institutions is not good for Pakistan. “It is not so easy to ignore democracy and parliament in the country today due to the roars of two lions,” he added.

He said that the ANP would never support dictatorship and martial law in the country, adding that it has never done so in the past either. “We have always opposed military dictatorships,” he said.

“If there will be no democracy, then there will be no Pakistan in the future,” he said. The minister added that Pakistan would never achieve progress and prosperity because political decisions in the country “are made by administrative and non-political profiles.”

The assumption of administrative and non political profiles that Pakistan lacks leadership is completely wrong, he said. He added that all those in Pakistan who have political acumen have been declared either traitor or a rebel.

He claimed that the leadership of the ANP is the only one which has never been accused by the National Accountability Bureau.

Speaking about his controversial statements in September, during which he announced a bounty of $100,000 for the producer of an anti-Islam, Bilour said,

“I can leave the ministry but will not step back on the issue of blasphemy and I am not afraid of any death threats in this regard.”

He also addressed the topic of drone attacks, saying that he doesn’t see any suspension or closure of drone strikes in the future. “I do not see any suspension and closure of drone attacks in the future. It is true that drone attacks are a direct interference of our sovereignty but one must think the about restriction of drone attacks to North Waziristan,” he continued. “Drones have never been sent to Lahore, Peshawar, Multan or other parts of the country because the terrorists and enemies of Pakistan are in North Waziristan.”

An ambitious Bilour also announced that within a year and a half, people will find the best railways in Pakistan. He said that seven projects are underway for improvement of Pakistan Railways, adding that he was working on bringing PR out of crisis.

Bilour on South Asian diplomacy

Speaking in Muzaffargarh, Bilour demanded an end to the requirement of visas for those travelling within South Asia, urging a peaceful coalition between Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. He added that people should be allowed to travel from Afghanistan to Bangladesh using railway services.

The minister went on to suggest there should be only one currency in South Asia, similar to the European Union, and added that all countries policies should be promoted, which would result in unity. He said the move would end the economic crisis in the region.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2012.