Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for what he termed were its destructive policies.

He was speaking at a ceremony to mark the death anniversary of veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan in Islamabad.

The PPP chairman said that he had earlier decided to hold onto his criticism before the PTI government completed its 100 days in power, but the policies adopted by the ‘selected’ government, a reference to alleged rigging in elections, led him to speak up.

Referring to the ruling party’s policy for management of public finances, Bilawal said it was dividing the nation, adding that in the beginning the PTI claimed that it sought to break the begging bowl but now it was trying to run the country on the principles of Chandanomics, a neologism referring to the government’s call for donations to finance mega projects.

“I had decided to wait for at least 100 days before criticising his policies but I have to speak up because the selected prime minister is making life worse for the poor,” Bilawal said.

He also criticised the PM’s decision to send Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to attend the UN General Assembly session and said that Imran Khan should have attended the session on his own to highlight the Kashmir issue at the international forum.

“This government’s foreign policy can only be seen on social media,” lamented Bilawal.

Published in Daily Times, September 27^th 2018.