Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has ruled out possibilities of forming a grand opposition alliance against the government.

“I think no effort is being made at this time for a grand alliance,” he said while speaking to the media a day after the meeting of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on Sunday. Bilawal said that the party would not compromise on constitution and the 18th Amendment, even if his whole family was put in jail.

He added that the “grand plan” behind the joint investigation team in the fake accounts case was to eventually force PPP to withdraw support for the historic amendment. “They (government) want to use courts for political engineering. If I expose them, they start complaining,” he said. Responding to a question as to why PPP had not answered accusations against Zardari, Bilawal said that since it was a legal matter PPP was continuing to respond in courts. “We are responding to [only] political attacks in media.”

He further said Zardari had submitted his reply before the JIT but that its report failed to include it, adding that efforts were being made to not only misguide masses but also courts. He said that the ruling PTI government was using national institutions for political victimisation.

“I have not seen such an inexperienced and incompetent government in my entire life, which is not even putting in any sincere effort to dispel the impression.”

Responding to a question regarding appointing the incumbent NAB chairman during the tenure of previous government, Bilawal asked, “Was PPP so strong in opposition that it appointed NAB chairman? Even if we had appointed [him] it was still the responsibility of the appointed person to act according to the Constitution and not come under any pressure from government.” He said because of undue pressure from the government, all national institutions were underperforming. “They know they can only win through rigging so they are defaming their opponents through different ways … we all know the cases are fake and false.”

Published in Daily Times, January 7^th 2019