Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday expressed scepticism about the current government’s intent to implement the National Action Plan (NAP), accusing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of contesting the last year’s election with cooperation from some banned outfits.
“If the PTI government is serious, it must let go of those ministers who support the banned groups. I hope Prime Minister Imran Khan will stand by his stance of fighting extremist elements,” the PPP chief told BBC Urdu in an interview. He expressed the hope that the ongoing crackdown on proscribed organisations will be carried out in true sense and the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) will be followed with perseverance. He also called for making the parliamentary committee on national security fully functional to keep a check on the implementation of NAP.
Bilawal said Pakistan’s position would have been different if the country had timely implemented the NAP. “With timely implementation of NAP, India wouldn’t have had any basis for hurling accusations at Pakistan as Islamabad would have enough evidence in hand to present about the steps taken by the country against extremists and terrorists,” he said.
Commenting on the recent escalation between Pakistan and India, Bilawal said, “Narendra Modi still favours aggressive actions against Pakistan and is using the Pulwama attack for political gains.” “It is sad that Modi is doing the politics of extremism. He must be seeing some benefits for his party in the upcoming elections as he has created a war-like situation in the region between the two nuclear-armed neighbours,” he added.
PPP chief urges PTI government to remove ministers who support banned outfits
Speaking about his party, the PPP chairman said every action is being taken against his party and the constitution is not being followed. “From the time of Ayub Khan to the era of Ziaul Haq, there has been a trend in Pakistan to suppress the PPP. The 90s were all about the political engineering,” he said. While stressing upon the need for an apolitical accountability process in the country, Bilawal said the law should treat everyone equally. He noted that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was born under the doctrine of necessity and to pressurise the political parties. “Had the rule of law been implemented, the fuss [we see] today would not have happened,” he said. “We need a proper system of accountability, where accountability is for everyone. It will be better if accountability is done once so that everything gets clear once and for all,” he suggested.
‘Article 10A of the constitution gives every citizen the right to a free and transparent trial. People are, however, not getting free and transparent trial. Everything has become a joke,” he lamented.
Hits back at PM, says cowards talk behind people’s backs
Meanwhile, hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan made scathing remarks against the top PPP leadership at a ceremony in Thar, Bilawal hit back at the former for adopting an even ‘harsher tone while criticising the opposition than while responding to Indian PM Modi or talking against the banned outfits’.
Addressing a rally in the underprivileged Sindh town earlier in the day, the prime minister had taken the ruling party to task over what he claimed its dismal performance in the province. Taking a jibe at Bilawal and his father Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Imran said if the two had taken a ‘U-turn on corruption’, they would not have been facing NAB investigations and court cases today.
“I wish our PM could work up the courage to respond to Modi or talk against banned organisations with the same tone he frequently criticises opposition. Also if he wants to respond to my NA speech should do so in parliament to my face. Cowards talk behind people’s backs,” the PPP chief posted on his Twitter handle.
Published in Daily Times, March 9th 2019.