Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Wednesday criticised deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif for “being involved in every conspiracy against democracy in the last 30 years”.

Talking to the media at the residence of a senior columnist Munnu Bhai, he said that next general election would not be delayed.

Bilawal denied any chance of a meeting between his father Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. He also advised Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to avoid going too far in Nawaz’s defence. “Maulana sahib has his own party… he should worry about that. Nawaz Sharif has his own problems”, he said.

He said that PPP leaders were being meted out “discriminatory” treatment at the hands of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), “as evident in the cases of Sharjeel Memon and Dr Asim”.

He expressed his utter surprise over not placing the disqualified prime minister in the Exit Control List (ECL), citing cases of two former PPP premiers – Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raza Pervaiz Ashraf – whose names were put on the list. The PPP chairman said that law must be same for all.

Referring to the situation of law and order in Punjab, he strongly condemned the alleged abduction of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Deputy Secretary General Nisar Sherazi from police custody as per the claim of his family members. He demanded the Punjab government to produce the MWM secretary before the court.

Bilawal said that the PML-N had made the census controversial. People from FATA to Karachi were objecting to the census. “However, we haven’t changed our stance on the census,” he said. Bilawal added that PPP was ready to accept the census results in order to avoid a constitutional crisis, but added that the PML-N had taken no steps at all to address the concerns.

He was of the view that they (PPP leaders) had raised reservations over the census in Council of Common Interest (CCI) and if their reservations would not be addressed by the incumbent government than they would again raise the issue after election. Earlier, MWM central Secretary General Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also called on Bilawal Bhutto at the Bilawal House and informed him about the abduction of his party leader.

Published in Daily Times, November 16^th 2017.