No plane will land late at night to pick you up for Saudi Arabia or London, Bilawal tells PM

PESHAWAR    -  Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while addressing public gathering here on Tuesday came down hard on Prime Minister Imran Khan and strongly criticised the government’s policies, demanding the premier to halt ‘anti-democratic methods.’

“Imran will not be allowed to run away. No plane will land late at night to pick him up for Saudi Arabia or London,” Bilawal warned PM Imran Khan.

Addressing the PPP’s 54th foundation day event, Bilawal went on to say that his PPP party and the masses would hold Prime Minister Imran Khan accountable for every misery he had incurred upon people. “Now, after three years, every Pakistani knows that rising inflation, historic poverty, and massive unemployment is the real face of ‘tabdeeli’s’. These are the antics of Khan, and this is ‘Naya Pakistan’,” Bilawal said.

The PPP chairman said when the government keeps waiting for an umpire’s directions then pain is inflicted on the masses. While speaking about the recently gone viral tapes, which allegedly featured ex-chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and another of PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, he said, “Let the conspirators plot their conspiracies, let people leak tapes, we will struggle along with the people and foil every conspiracy,” he added. 

PPP Chairman also said that the culture of pressuring courts over phone calls to rein in political leaders should now end. He said the courts and parliament must take measures to end this practice once and for all. “We are not happy at all that audio tapes are emerging against those who would threaten and pressure courts over phone calls to hand sentences of 20 years’ [imprisonment] to Shaheed Bibi and Zardari and to seize their family property,” Bilawal told a rally in Peshawar.

“We think the system of making phone calls is wrong today and was wrong then and in the future, no one should have the courage to make such an attempt.” The PPP leader said “Imran must realise the gravity of the situation and stop practising undemocratic politics, otherwise, he will suffer the same fate as that of his predecessors.”

The PPP chief than moved on to criticising the government for inflation in the country. Annual consumer price inflation rate in the country rose to 11.5 per cent in November, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.

That was up from 9.2pc the previous month as the government and central bank struggle with high inflation. The State Bank of Pakistan this month lifted rates by 150 basis points, in part due to surging price growth.

Bilawal claimed the people of Peshawar would hold the PTI accountable in upcoming local government elections, adding that the PPP would stand with the inflation-hit masses in taking “revenge” from the incumbent government. “Prices of basic commodities increased manifold in recent months just because of a lack of planning and vision,” the PPP chairman said.

Talking about the recent bill passed to allow voting rights for overseas Pakistanis, Bilawal said Pakistani nationals based abroad should have a separate electoral college. “How could it be possible that a person casts vote in Paris and it is part of the result in Bannu.”

He alleged that Imran was trying to bring votes from “outside” to strengthen his voter base. “We are going to challenge this rule in courts and also highlight this conspiracy in street protests,” Bilawal said.

Referring indirectly to the government’s olive branch to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban, Bilawal said the prime minister had bowed down before terrorists without taking families of APS martyrs and the parliament into confidence. He said the government must first press those asking for the imposition of Shariah in the country to respect the Constitution of Pakistan. “We will not accept any of your talks until terrorists involved in serious cases face trial and get punishment,” he added.

Bilawal said Islam didn’t allow the killing of children and women, emphasising that “the killers of our people should first face retribution before any other measure.” Calling the government “incompetent and failed”, he claimed the incumbent rulers were playing with the fate of Pakistan.

The PPP chairman told PM Imran Khan that only oppress people to the extent which you can yourself bear, as he reminded the premier that people who sat in his office earlier were also of the view that the country’s future depended on them.

Also, the PPP chairman announced that the party would hold countrywide protests against the constant increase in petrol price on December 10. On December 17, after Friday prayers, PPP workers would protest against the ongoing gas crisis at their district headquarters. Following these, a historic rally will be held in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, where an action plan against the incumbent government would also be announced.