KARACHI - Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday said that the PPP is the only political party in the country that wanted timely elections.
Without naming Pakistan Democratic Movement leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the PPP chairman said that sometimes someone begins talking about the weather that ‘it is very cold in February and January so how will we contest elections while others talk about the law and order situation. How so-called political leaders are coming up with excuses to delay the polls, he asked.
“The PPP will continue its politics and would not rest before securing the notification for an election date,” he asserted. Bilawal further said that the PPP was ready to present its ideology and manifesto before the public as a part of its preparations for the upcoming elections. In a media talk earlier, PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani echoed Bilawal’s remarks. “I have read Fazlur Rehman’s statement … apart from him, no one has raised any objections to elections in January,” he said.
Bilawal’s statement appeared to be a criticism of JUI-F emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s concerns over holding elections in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtun¬khwa at a time when they remain grip¬¬ped by intense winter. Talking about the discourse over the timing of elections today, Bilawal said the public should realise who was running away from accountability in polls and who was ready to present themselves for answerability before voters.
The ex-prime minister also stated that any party that had reservations about delimitation should raise the issue with the ECP. Meanwhile, PPP veteran leader Farhatullah Babar has said the “vibes say no elections” and warned of the consequences of “denying people free choice”, which he stated could invite disaster. In a media talk on Sunday, the JUI-F chief had said it was not possible to hold general elections in KP and Balochistan in January. “In January, weather would be harsh in Chitral, Khuzdar, and other parts of KP and Balochistan,” he had said.
