Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Sunday lashed out at former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over its ‘respect the vote’ slogan.

“Where was ‘respect for vote’ when Nawaz took dictation from General Zia-ul-Haq,” Bilawal questioned, while speaking to media in Multan. “Nawaz has followed ‘orders’ all over his life, and now he is talking about respect for the vote,” he said, adding that the PML-N has always ‘taken dictation’ from others.

“When Nawaz Sharif has no respect for parliament and other institutions, how can he rally to advocate respect for vote?” he questioned.

The PPP chief said he hopes the upcoming transfer of power from one civilian government to another is ‘peaceful’. The democracy in the country is still weak, he said, adding that the way democracy progressed in the last 10 years has not happened before.

In response to a question, Bilawal said he has lot of expectations from the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan. “I cannot stop someone and only advise,” he said, adding that judges do not speak themselves but through their judgments.

Bilawal said that the federal government was responsible for power crisis in Karachi as PML-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had privatised the K-Electric. He said the power distribution company in Karachi was not only depriving the citizens of electricity but also over-charging them.

Bilawal said creating new province in southern Punjab was necessary to remove poverty from the region. He said that PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) delivered nothing to the people, whereas PPP dedicated the past 10 years to eliminating poverty in Sindh. In a separate statement, Bilawal strongly condemned the targeted killing of Hazara people in Quetta. He said that terrorists were hunting Hazara people like birds but the government was turning a blind eye to the continued brutalities against the marginalised community. The PPP chief expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and demanded that complete protection should be provided to the community in Quetta.

Published in Daily Times, April 23^rd 2018.