Daily Times

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari endorsed the call by the PTI for a judicial commission into the May 9 riots during his maiden speech during a session of the 16th National Assembly.

Speaking on the floor of the assembly, Bilawal said he agreed with the demand earlier made by newly-elected K-P CM Ali Amin Gandapur. The KP-CM earlier demanded for a judicial commission to probe the protests that erupted on May 9 following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Bilawal, agreeing with Gandapur’s demand, said the results of such an inquiry should be accepted by all parties involved.

He also stressed the need for dialogue and reconciliation to steer Pakistan out of crisis instead of exchanging harsh words and abuse in the assembly.

“I am the third-generation representative of my family to be elected in this House, when you enter this building, you can see the name of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto engraved on the foundation stone. By making this democratic institution strong, we will make ourselves and the people of Pakistan strong,” said the PPP chairman while speaking on the floor of the lower house.

The PPP scion also stated that by weakening the institution of the Parliament, we will be weakening both ourselves and democracy

“Our elders who have become a member of this house five or six times should create good traditions,” said the former foreign minister as he urged older members to make decisions for the benefit of the youth.

The former minister added that traditions must be created that are remembered by our future generations adding, “When the next members come here, they shall remember us In their prayers, not abuse”. He reminded fellow lawmakers that the eyes of the nation were upon them at this crucial time as the people are suffering economic difficulties.

Referring to PTI leader Omar Ayub’s remarks that his speech would be censored on TV, Bilawal expressed disappointment saying that it was a tradition started during the tenure of Imran Khan and “we should not continue it”. He maintained that a code of conduct needs to be made for politics and politicians.

Maintaining that no single party could make important decisions in the government due to a split mandate, Bilawal stressed the need for cooperation and expressed confidence in the premiership of Shehbaz Sharif to better the current situation.

Bilawal also congratulated the leader of the opposition Omar Ayub and the chief ministers of the four provinces on their election. “This House belongs to all of us.”

He hoped PM Shehbaz would take decision for the betterment of the people, saying “If we do not accept someone as the prime minister, then we do not have the right to criticise him”.

The PPP leader asserted that the nation needs judicial and electoral reforms and sought the opposition’s support on the issues.

“I have been the foreign minister of this country. Omar Ayub is correct in saying that a cypher copy is kept in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yesterday, Ayub said that the bureaucracy was responsible for the missing document. What if Imran Khan himself had not said that the copy had been misplaced? What if the copy had fallen into the hands of the enemy, the code could give the enemy access to all previous cyphers. We all know that someone deliberately published a copy of this cypher in the international media. This is also condemned,” said Bilawal referring to the cypher case.

Adding that the accused in the cypher case should be punished according to the law, Bilawal said the Constitution “applies to all of us”. “If I deviate from the Constitution, punish me.”

As Bilawal spoke, members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chanted slogans of ‘Go Zardari Go’, following which PPP and PML-N leaders surrounded Bilawal and PM Shehbaz.

During the session, a bitter exchange also took place between an SIC and a PPP MNA. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had to intervene to calm the two down.

Following the conclusion of Bilawal’s speech, PM Shehbaz congratulated the PPP chairman for speaking well.