KARACHI - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday termed the local government amendment bill passed by the Sindh Assembly a revolutionary bill and best among all provinces of the country.

Addressing a press conference at Bilawal House in Karachi, the PPP chairman, flanked by party leaders, said their opponents have criticised the bill based on the lies. “We are not against criticism but it should not be full of lies,” he said adding their local government bill would empower the local bodies system in Karachi. “We are not interested in keeping powers with ourselves and our president Asif Zardari devolved all presidential powers to executive authorities previously,” he said.

Shedding light on the new local bodies bill, Bilawal said that they had given property tax to the local bodies, besides officials related to health, education, and law enforcement authorities would be answerable to them. “Previously the police were not answerable to local representatives, however, they have been made answerable through this law,” he said.    

“Those who are terming it a black law will be ashamed,” he said and added that they were scared of the popularity of the PPP in the province. 

Bilawal Bhutto said that they wanted local bodies system to generate their own revenue.

He said that Sindh province had built state-of-the-art health facilities in the province including cardiac, kidney and liver.

The PPP chairman admitted that there is a need for them to work on the public transport projects and lamented that the prime minister had inaugurated an incomplete project of Green Line Bus Service.

“We will fulfill our promise regarding deadlines on Orange and Red line BRT systems,” he said while also announcing to launch intercity bus service project in January 2022.   

Responding to CM Sindh’s remarks regarding looking for other options and ‘this is Sindh not Hind’, Bilawal Bhutto said that PPP is the only party that has raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ and those who raised anti-Pakistan sloganeering- a reference to MQM’s Quaid on 22 August- dare not lecture them.

He said that the statement from the chief minister was twisted and was presented out of context to create a controversy. “We condemn such an act,” he said and asked the media to also highlight hate speech on the walls of Karachi.

He said that they do not disagree with the right of politics however it should not be based on linguistics and hate. “The politics of MQM’s founder has been buried by the masses,” he said.   

Speaking on talks with TTP, Bilawal Bhutto said the government has decided to hold talks with the TTP and they in return have attacked law enforcing authorities in Tank.

“The state should establish its writ,” he said and added that they would ask questions on every terror attack and the Taliban should be asked as to why their associates are carrying out terror acts in Pakistan.

He further asked the government against taking unilateral decisions on talks with TTP and called for taking Parliament into confidence. “We will not accept any unilateral decisions,” he said.