Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: National Democratic Foundation (NDF) Chairman Kanwar Dilshad, a former federal secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan, has said that a Pandora box is likely to open and to create discomfiture for Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari soon as they would file their nomination papers.

“Zardari is chairman of the PPP Parliamentarians and co-chairman of PPP while Bilawal is chairman of PPP and co-chairman of PPP Parliamentarians,” he pointed out. “This (practice) is in violation of Clause 5 of Political Parties Order-2002, which clearly prohibits one to use name, colour or platform of other party while Zardari and Bilawal are using both the parties,” he said.

In case, Bilawal wins the by-election and subsequent to that victory becomes member of the National Assembly, he would be a lonely MNA from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) because the numbers of MNAs and senators were from the PPP Parliamentarians, he said.

The NDF chairman said that Bilawal with one seat in National Assembly would be dependent on his father for becoming leader of the opposition. At the time of filing his nomination papers, Zardari would be legally bound to declare his assets and wealth, bank accounts, moveable and immoveable property, Surrey Palace, $60 million in Swiss Banks here within the country and abroad as would be required under Clause 12 of the Public Representation Act-1976, he said.

He said that he (Zardari) would also be legally bound to annex his academic testimonials and degrees because he would still be legally bound to fill the column in nomination paper that pertains to academic qualification. In the columns of assets, Zardari would also be legally bound to declare Bilawal Houses in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, Sugar Mills and list of palaces in France, he said. Bilawal would face similar legal bondages on filing his nomination papers, he said.

“Both Zardari and Bilawal would have no other option except to let go the chairmanship and co-chairmanship of one party and stay in one party,” he said, adding that they would be compelled to declare all their wealth and property in Pakistan and abroad. “This particular situation would also lead to reopening of all previous reference once again,” he said.