Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Saturday said the present government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) wants to revoke the 18th constitutional amendment, however the PPP will oppose any such move with full force.
At a meeting with party’s MNAs, senators and other members, Bilawal said the PPP will raise its voice against ‘rigging’ in the July 25 general elections. “This political engineering and rigging will finally cause the masses to lose their faith and trust in the process of elections,” he said.
Bilawal said it was blessing of the democracy that three consecutive elections have been conducted in the country and power has been transferred in a smooth way. He said Asif Zardari had been the country’s most powerful president still he transferred all the presidential powers to parliament and the prime minister.
Bilawal urged upon the party legislators to vote for Aitzaz Ahsan in the upcoming presidential election. He revealed that when the opposition asked for a candidate in lieu of Aitzaz for the office of the president, three names were laid before them: 1-Aitzaz, 2-Aitzaz and 3-Aitzaz. He said that there is no comparison of Aitzaz with candidate of the PTI for the office.
Addressing the meeting, PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari said that Aitzaz Ahsan’s victory in the upcoming presidential election will be equivalent to victory of all liberal forces. “PPP has nominated Ahsan, which will be remembered in the history. Our friends should realise that his victory will be tantamount to the victory of all the liberal forces,” he said.
“Ahsan is one of the oldest party loyalists and he is our candidate for the office of president of Pakistan. Fazl ur Rehman is also a candidate for the same office but we have to see which candidate can represent the image of the country more positively and dynamically,” he added.
Published in Daily Times, September 2nd 2018.