Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday asked the government to ensure provision of medical facilities to ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif of his own choice.

Talking to reporters outside the Kot Lakhpat jail after a meeting with Nawaz Sharif, the PPP chairman insisted that it was completely a non-political meeting as he had only come there to inquire after Nawaz Sharif following speculations regarding his health condition. “Every human has some cultural values despite having political differences, and our religion also teaches us to inquire about the health of a person who is suffering from a disease,” he said.

Bilawal maintained that injustice should not be done with any prisoner and that it is government’s responsibility to provide medical facilities to all ailing prisoners on humanitarian basis. “A person, who is suffering from cardiac disease, should not be pressurised as it comes under the category of torture. High-ups should become humans before being rulers,” he said. “Mian Nawaz Sharif has served as prime minister of Pakistan thrice and PPP demands that he should be given medical facilities of his own choice,” he added.

“I am here just to inquire about the health of Mian Nawaz Sharif, however we also discussed elections, government’s role and the Charter of Democracy,” Bilawal said. Slain Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif signed Charter of Democracy in 2006 and it is the joint failure of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that they could not completely implement the political pact, he said. “Both political parties have not focused on judicial reformation to remove black laws of dictatorship-era despite agreeing to running the national system under democracy,” he said, adding that the PPP will initiate efforts to bring all political parties on the same platform for complete implementation of the Charter of Democracy.

Bilawal said reports about Nawaz searching for a deal or wanting to go to London are in fact people spreading rumours against him. “Mian Sahib has himself told me that he has become an ideological person. In my opinion [after meeting him], I don’t find Sharif in a mood to compromise. I think conspiracies are being made against him [Nawaz Sharif] by those talking about possibilities of another NRO,” he said.

Nawaz reportedly told Bilawal that he is in high spirits and that imprisonment cannot shatter his determination. Bilawal reportedly assured Nawaz that he cannot be held in prison for a long time and that the next meeting with him will he held outside the prison.

Bilawal said it is ‘sort of a historical day’ for him as his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his father Asif Ali Zardari, as well as various PPP workers, served time as political prisoners at the same jail. “It is very sad as well that a person who has remained the prime minister of the country three times is again incarcerated here. It is 2019, and yet another prime minister is serving a sentence at Kot Lakpat jail,” he regretted.

Bilawal noted that his father had spent eleven-and-a-half years in jail and eventually been acquitted by the courts. “However, during the time he [Zardari] spent in jail, there wasn’t a single month where there were not reports coming out that he had struck a deal with former president Gen Pervez Musharraf,” he recalled.

While criticising Finance Minister Asad Umar, Bilawal said, “The finance minister had complained about my speech in English and also criticised for why I am associating Bhutto with my name. [Just to clarify him] I am using Bhutto-Zardari with my name,” he said. FM Qureshi had also spoken in English and agreed with my words while delivering his response speech, he added.

The PPP chairman clarified that he had not launched any criticism against the incumbent government but only made some ‘reminders’. He lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that his speech in Thar was not appropriate in accordance with the current scenario. He called for maintaining such an environment which promotes unity among the nation, especially in the wake of tensions with India.

To a question about the future political strategy, Bilawal revealed that the PPP will initiate contacting ‘pro-democratic political parties’ and many developments will be made in future regarding the implementation of the Charter of Democracy. “Ideological people in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will also be welcomed if they step forward to contact us,” he said, and confirmed that his party was in contact with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders.

Bilawal was accompanied by PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Jameel and Hassan Murtaza. He was allowed to meet Nawaz Sharif in accordance with the jail manual and regulations. The meeting continued for around one hour.

Following the meeting, Maryam Nawaz thanked the PPP chairman for visiting her father at the Kot Lakhpat jail. “Thank you very much @BBhuttoZardari for your thoughtfulness & kind gesture. Means a lot to me. Prayers & every good wish. God bless,” she tweeted.