| PPP leader says establishment’s neutrality will be tested in few days
LAHORE/ MURIDKE - Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Sunday that the test of establishment’s neutrality is coming in a few days when the no-trust motion will be tabled in the National Assembly.
“The no-confidence motion will be moved in few days, and we will all see who is neutral and who is not”, he said while replying to a question at the residence of Nadim Afzal Chan who announced to rejoin the PPP dissociating himself from the PTI after around four years.
Bilawal said the country’s history was a testimony to the fact that the establishment had not been neutral in the past. But the neutrality of the establishment is going to be tested in the coming days, he added.
Answering another question about reports that PM Khan was keeping certain notifications in his pocket about nomination of the new army chief, Bilawal said that the prime minister and his team was deliberately leaking such information to make the institutions controversial, but his party will thwart their attempt.
“We are out for a democratic struggle. It is our demand that all [institutions] should be neutral. There should be impartiality. Democracy should be restored, and no institution should make itself controversial only for the sake of one person”, he maintained.
Asked if he was confident about the success of the no-confidence motion keeping in view the fact that such moves never succeeded in the past even not against the former PM Benazir Bhutto, the PPP chairman replied that there was a big difference between the past and present moves. “The one moved against BB Shaheed was undemocratic whereas the present one is being moved on democratic ground”, he said.
Talking about the chances of victory of the anticipated move, the PPP leader said that it was definitely a difficult task. “No one can say it is an easy task… But we have to make efforts and work really hard because we think this is worth the risk that the government must be challenged…a government which has ridiculed our foreign policy and has polarised the society to the extent that we cannot even talk to each other [on issues]”, he remarked.
He also said that he could not give a hundred percent guarantee of no-trust motion’s success. “But if we sit and wait for a hundred percent guarantee, the present cruelty will continue. Victory and defeat are in the hands of God Almighty, but it is our job to make efforts. If we succeed, it will be great; and even if we fail, we will not sit idle and keep following him”, he observed.
Replying to a question about seeking help from the government allies for the planned no-confidence motion, Bilawal Bhutto termed their role very important. “Although a sufficient number of PTI legislators are in contact with the PML-N, the PPP and other opposition parties, but, if the allied parties also join hands [with the Opposition], the chances of victory will increase manifold”, he said.
To another question, he said that no-confidence motion will be moved against the PM and the Speaker, but a decision about the strategy will be taken by the Opposition’s leadership.
When a reporter reminded the PPP chairman of a statement of PML-N’s vice-president Maryam Nawaz calling him a “newly selected” without naming her though, Bilawal said it has never been the stance of the PML-N. “Do you want to set us against each other”, he asked the questioner.
Asked to comment on PM Imran Khan’s statement that the Opposition was just wasting its time on the no-confidence move, the PPP chairman said: “We have been listening to the statements of Khan Sahib for the last three years. Imran Khan is used to taking U-turns on his statements. But we have never taken a U-turn. We have been consistent on our stance”, he said, adding that the government was under extreme pressure now. “It has never been under such a pressure before as it is now. Currently, it is facing the biggest challenge of no-confidence motion”, he averred. He said the Opposition was struggling for free and fair elections.
Answering a question about the long march, he said it was a difficult decision, but the party’s CEC decided to go to the people to mobilize public opinion against the government.
In his opening statement before taking questions from the media persons, Bilawal Bhutto asked PM Imran Khan to resign and dissolve the assemblies before a no-confidence motion was moved against him. “He [PM] himself has been talking of dissolving the assemblies. He should do it immediately; otherwise, we will take our democratic struggle to the assemblies”, he warned, adding that the PPP had already given him a tough time in the National Assembly and the Senate.
If he has trust in the people, he should dissolve the assemblies and let the people decide [about the new rulers. He said the Opposition will table the no-confidence motion after the PPP march reaches Islamabad. “We will take this democratic struggle to the Parliament. We will adopt a democratic means to oust this undemocratic person, and hopefully we will succeed”, he affirmed.
Addressing a reception of the Awami long march at Muridke, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that “today every citizen is in trouble due to this selected government.”
“We have to send this selected Imran home. The PPP will get rid of this puppet. Today the demand of every citizen is “go selected go”.
The PPP Chairman said that the selected had asked the people not to worry if there is record price-hike, unemployment and poverty but the time has come for this selected to start worrying because the Jiyalas are coming to get him.
Earlier, PM’s former advisor Nadim Afzal Chan announced to rejoin the PPP saying that it was a wrong decision to join the PTI. “There were certain family issues which compelled me to make a wrong decision at that time. But I had then told Imran Khan [at the time of joining the PTI] that I am a Jiayala of Bhutto and will remain so in future also”, he said. He also vowed to spend the rest of his life in the PPP.
Bilawal welcomed Nadim Chan in the PPP fold saying he had just returned to his own home. He also appealed to the old party workers to rejoin the party to be part of the present democratic struggle. “Whosoever has ever raised the party flag and has been associated with the party during the times of Quaid-e-Awan and Shaheed BB, should return and join the party struggle for a true democratic rule”, he said.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Wasim Afzal Chan, a brother of Nadim Afzal Chan, has dissociated himself and his other family members from his brother’s decision to rejoin the PPP. “We are with the PTI. It is my brother’s personal decision and has nothing to do with my father and brother”, he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the PPP’s long march set off for Gujranwala and Wazirabad on Sunday evening after an overnight stay in Lahore. Before leaving Lahore, Bilawal Bhutto addressed a big public gathering at Nasir Bagh here and warned the government against taking any undemocratic step to sabotage the Opposition’s no-confidence motion.
He said he was there to play a long innings.
“It is just the beginning. I am here to pay a long innings”, he said.
He said the present rulers had no future as they would flee to London. “But I will stay here among the people in their difficult time. How is it possible that I will leave you when the people are reeling under the impact of inflation and economic murder of the peasants was in sight”.
Bilawal in his speech also recounted PPP’s achievements in the last tenure ranging from passage of the 18th amendment to the NFC award for the distribution of resources among the provinces and the Benazir Income Support Programme. He said it was after the passage of 18th amendment that all the federating units including Punjab got their due rights as guaranteed under the constitution. He said that PPP’s struggle spreading over 30 years culminated in the passage of the 18th amendment.
Bilawal also took credit for the CPEC projects saying that President Asif Ali Zardari brought back this project in his China visit. He also mentioned the political struggle of party founder Z.A Bhutto and former PM Benazir Bhutto and said the two leaders had never compromised on principles.
He asked the people to give another chance to the PPP to come to power and then see how the country makes progress in different fields. “Given another chance, we will tell you how to set the economy right and how to run a successful foreign policy”, he said.
LAHORE/ MURIDKE - Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Sunday that the test of establishment’s neutrality is coming in a few days when the no-trust motion will be tabled in the National Assembly.
“The no-confidence motion will be moved in few days, and we will all see who is neutral and who is not”, he said while replying to a question at the residence of Nadim Afzal Chan who announced to rejoin the PPP dissociating himself from the PTI after around four years.
Bilawal said the country’s history was a testimony to the fact that the establishment had not been neutral in the past. But the neutrality of the establishment is going to be tested in the coming days, he added.
Answering another question about reports that PM Khan was keeping certain notifications in his pocket about nomination of the new army chief, Bilawal said that the prime minister and his team was deliberately leaking such information to make the institutions controversial, but his party will thwart their attempt.
“We are out for a democratic struggle. It is our demand that all [institutions] should be neutral. There should be impartiality. Democracy should be restored, and no institution should make itself controversial only for the sake of one person”, he maintained.
Asked if he was confident about the success of the no-confidence motion keeping in view the fact that such moves never succeeded in the past even not against the former PM Benazir Bhutto, the PPP chairman replied that there was a big difference between the past and present moves. “The one moved against BB Shaheed was undemocratic whereas the present one is being moved on democratic ground”, he said.
Talking about the chances of victory of the anticipated move, the PPP leader said that it was definitely a difficult task. “No one can say it is an easy task… But we have to make efforts and work really hard because we think this is worth the risk that the government must be challenged…a government which has ridiculed our foreign policy and has polarised the society to the extent that we cannot even talk to each other [on issues]”, he remarked.
He also said that he could not give a hundred percent guarantee of no-trust motion’s success. “But if we sit and wait for a hundred percent guarantee, the present cruelty will continue. Victory and defeat are in the hands of God Almighty, but it is our job to make efforts. If we succeed, it will be great; and even if we fail, we will not sit idle and keep following him”, he observed.
Replying to a question about seeking help from the government allies for the planned no-confidence motion, Bilawal Bhutto termed their role very important. “Although a sufficient number of PTI legislators are in contact with the PML-N, the PPP and other opposition parties, but, if the allied parties also join hands [with the Opposition], the chances of victory will increase manifold”, he said.
To another question, he said that no-confidence motion will be moved against the PM and the Speaker, but a decision about the strategy will be taken by the Opposition’s leadership.
When a reporter reminded the PPP chairman of a statement of PML-N’s vice-president Maryam Nawaz calling him a “newly selected” without naming her though, Bilawal said it has never been the stance of the PML-N. “Do you want to set us against each other”, he asked the questioner.
Asked to comment on PM Imran Khan’s statement that the Opposition was just wasting its time on the no-confidence move, the PPP chairman said: “We have been listening to the statements of Khan Sahib for the last three years. Imran Khan is used to taking U-turns on his statements. But we have never taken a U-turn. We have been consistent on our stance”, he said, adding that the government was under extreme pressure now. “It has never been under such a pressure before as it is now. Currently, it is facing the biggest challenge of no-confidence motion”, he averred. He said the Opposition was struggling for free and fair elections.
Answering a question about the long march, he said it was a difficult decision, but the party’s CEC decided to go to the people to mobilize public opinion against the government.
In his opening statement before taking questions from the media persons, Bilawal Bhutto asked PM Imran Khan to resign and dissolve the assemblies before a no-confidence motion was moved against him. “He [PM] himself has been talking of dissolving the assemblies. He should do it immediately; otherwise, we will take our democratic struggle to the assemblies”, he warned, adding that the PPP had already given him a tough time in the National Assembly and the Senate.
If he has trust in the people, he should dissolve the assemblies and let the people decide [about the new rulers. He said the Opposition will table the no-confidence motion after the PPP march reaches Islamabad. “We will take this democratic struggle to the Parliament. We will adopt a democratic means to oust this undemocratic person, and hopefully we will succeed”, he affirmed.
Addressing a reception of the Awami long march at Muridke, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that “today every citizen is in trouble due to this selected government.”
“We have to send this selected Imran home. The PPP will get rid of this puppet. Today the demand of every citizen is “go selected go”.
The PPP Chairman said that the selected had asked the people not to worry if there is record price-hike, unemployment and poverty but the time has come for this selected to start worrying because the Jiyalas are coming to get him.
Earlier, PM’s former advisor Nadim Afzal Chan announced to rejoin the PPP saying that it was a wrong decision to join the PTI. “There were certain family issues which compelled me to make a wrong decision at that time. But I had then told Imran Khan [at the time of joining the PTI] that I am a Jiayala of Bhutto and will remain so in future also”, he said. He also vowed to spend the rest of his life in the PPP.
Bilawal welcomed Nadim Chan in the PPP fold saying he had just returned to his own home. He also appealed to the old party workers to rejoin the party to be part of the present democratic struggle. “Whosoever has ever raised the party flag and has been associated with the party during the times of Quaid-e-Awan and Shaheed BB, should return and join the party struggle for a true democratic rule”, he said.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Wasim Afzal Chan, a brother of Nadim Afzal Chan, has dissociated himself and his other family members from his brother’s decision to rejoin the PPP. “We are with the PTI. It is my brother’s personal decision and has nothing to do with my father and brother”, he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the PPP’s long march set off for Gujranwala and Wazirabad on Sunday evening after an overnight stay in Lahore. Before leaving Lahore, Bilawal Bhutto addressed a big public gathering at Nasir Bagh here and warned the government against taking any undemocratic step to sabotage the Opposition’s no-confidence motion.
He said he was there to play a long innings.
“It is just the beginning. I am here to pay a long innings”, he said.
He said the present rulers had no future as they would flee to London. “But I will stay here among the people in their difficult time. How is it possible that I will leave you when the people are reeling under the impact of inflation and economic murder of the peasants was in sight”.
Bilawal in his speech also recounted PPP’s achievements in the last tenure ranging from passage of the 18th amendment to the NFC award for the distribution of resources among the provinces and the Benazir Income Support Programme. He said it was after the passage of 18th amendment that all the federating units including Punjab got their due rights as guaranteed under the constitution. He said that PPP’s struggle spreading over 30 years culminated in the passage of the 18th amendment.
Bilawal also took credit for the CPEC projects saying that President Asif Ali Zardari brought back this project in his China visit. He also mentioned the political struggle of party founder Z.A Bhutto and former PM Benazir Bhutto and said the two leaders had never compromised on principles.
He asked the people to give another chance to the PPP to come to power and then see how the country makes progress in different fields. “Given another chance, we will tell you how to set the economy right and how to run a successful foreign policy”, he said.
