Daily Times

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday urged Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar to clarify the proceedings of the 37th National Security Council (NSC) meeting held last week.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Bilawal said Prime Minister Imran Khan was using a foreign conspiracy to justify his “coup”.

He further wrote: “Will @OfficialDGISPR clarify did NSC meeting declare the 197 members of NA traitors and part of a foreign plot?”

The PPP chairperson further questioned whether the Foreign Office or defence ministry produced any “official correspondence between 7-27th on foreign sazish [conspiracy],” says a news report.

On March 31, the 37th meeting of NSC took place at PM Office with PM Imran Khan in the chair, where National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf briefed the committee on the formal communication of a senior official of a foreign country to Pakistan’s ambassador in the said country in a formal meeting.

The Pakistani ambassador “duly conveyed” the message of the foreign official to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement had reported.

Former federal ministers of defence, energy, information and broadcasting, interior, finance, human rights, planning, development and special initiatives, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Services Chiefs, NSA, and senior officers attended the meeting.

Bilawal further wrote: “Surly a plot of this scale would have been uncovered by our own intelligence agencies and other institutions not just an ambassador’s cable?”

Maintaining his stance on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “extra-constitutional” actions, the PPP chairperson said: “Imran’s ego is not more important than Pakistan.”

He urged the Supreme Court to stop Imran Khan’s coup and form a full court bench to address the political crisis.

He asserted that what happened in the National Assembly on Sunday was a blatant violation of the Constitution.

“There is one legal way of removing the prime minister – the no confidence motion. Imran Khan, just for the sake of his ego, sabotaged the no-trust process by violating the Constitution.”

Bilawal called the dismissal of the no-confidence move “suicide for Imran Khan” and his party. Several PPP supporters, he said, were rejoicing at “successfully ousting the government”. “But we will never be happy because we are democratic and constitutional parties,” he said, pointing out that today, April 4, marks the date former PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not dispensed justice by the Supreme Court.

“The judiciary failed to provide us justice. Our presidential reference is still pending. The court couldn’t stop Zia’s coup, it couldn’t stop Musharraf’s coup … But we are requesting you: stop Imran Khan’s coup. “Your decision will write the future of the country. It will decide whether our constitution is just a piece of paper or a document that protects the integrity of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Bilawal said.

Commenting on Bilawal’s tweet, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry advised the PPP chairperson to consult “a wise person” before raising issues related to NSC.

“If an investigation is done, you will have to bear the consequences,” Fawad warned, saying that the PTI members are silent right now, “consider this as a blessing.”