Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday came down hard on the federal government for what he claimed ‘trying to occupy Karachi’, following Law Minister Farogh Naseem’s statement that the Centre was considering taking over the administrative affairs of the metropolis by invoking Article 149 of the constitution.
Addressing a press conference, Bilawal said running a country is not like playing a cricket match. He said government is playing with the constitution “but we will save the country with our blood.” He said Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to protect human rights in Kashmir but has ripped apart democratic rights of the people of Pakistan. “You want to run Karachi from Islamabad?” he asked. “You try to build a narrative against [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi, saying that he unconstitutionally captured Kashmir, and at the same time you try to occupy Karachi. This is bizarre,” he added.
Bilawal said the PPP will never accept any conspiracy against the province. “According to the constitution, the province that produces a resource is entitled to utilise it before providing it to the rest of the country,” he said, referring to Sindh government’s longstanding complaint that the province, despite producing natural gas, was not receiving its due share. The federal government is trying to provide gas produced in Sindh to the rest of the country and wants the province’s residents to use expensive LNG gas imported from Qatar, he alleged. “If the federal government continues to weaken democratic powers in the country, oppresses its people, steals their human rights and on top of that, tries to occupy their land and city, do you think that your country will survive?” he asked.
“This country has already been broken in the past when Islamabad has tried to control the state. It’s not like those people were less patriotic than you or me […] If PPP and other like-minded parties don’t stand up, tomorrow, separate Sindhi and Pashtun states might be formed,” Bilawal warned. “Come to your senses! The Islamic democratic system is what has kept this country together,” he added.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the federal government has no plan of imposition of ‘Governor Rule’ or ‘Emergency’ in Sindh.
Talking to media outside the Parliament House, she said the statement of Law Minister Farogh Naseem has been twisted and reported out of the context. She said Karachi has been turned into a heap of garbage, adding during the past 11 years, some elements have been misusing its resources for personal gains. She said the nation is expecting from those ruling elite class of Sindh to resolve the issues of the province on priority. She said the people of Sindh in general and Karachiites in particular are paying the price of bad performance of the provincial government.
Dr Firdous said PTI’s MNAs and MPAs and other opposition parties in Sindh cannot help resolve problems of their constituencies due to non-cooperation of the government. She asked the Sindh government to adopt the path of cooperation instead of confrontation and prepare a strategy along with the federal government for the welfare of the people.