Some want to become Amir-ul-Momineen, others want to raise Tiger force: Bilawal

LAHORE   -  Calling for an end to the pres­ent culture of name-calling and traditional style of politics, Pakistan Peoples Party chair­man Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Tuesday urged the politicians to operate within their desig­nated boundaries to address the economic and security challenges facing the country. 

“The nation faces unprec­edented economic, geopoliti­cal, and security challenges today; and engaging in tra­ditional political skirmishes hinders our ability to address these issues collectively”, Bi­lawal said while addressing a function held in connection with the Golden Jubilee cele­brations of the 1973 Constitu­tion of Pakistan at the Lahore High Court Bar.

The PPP chairman said that until the politicians collective­ly decide to work within their boundaries, the country will struggle to overcome its myri­ad crises.

Bilawal said that the ideal situation to engage in politics would be one in which the in­stitutions work within their domains. “We face unprece­dented economic, geopoliti­cal and security challenges. If our politicians are to engage in the same, traditional skirmish­es, we will not be able to tackle these issues. If politicians work within their own boundaries, then we can compel the rest of the institutions to do the same. However, till the time we do not reach this decision collective­ly, we cannot help the country emerge from this plethora of crises”, he observed. 

Bilawal lamented that pre­vailing culture of name-call­ing, imprisonment of oppo­nents, and personal vendettas has unfortunately become syn­onymous with politics today, resulting in losses for all. “It is essential to recognise that this style of politics was introduced by Imran Khan, even though we advocated against it. We be­lieve that for effective gover­nance, politicians should op­erate within their designated boundaries”, he remarked. 

Bilawal noted that the coun­try is currently experiencing in­tense polarisation and political division. He said that the PPP had consistently viewed poli­tics as a tool for public service rather than a means for person­al vendettas. 

He hoped that those tradi­tional politicians remember the principles of democracy and the Constitution consistent­ly, not just when convenient, such as during opposition. Bil­awal said: “We consider it our success to send each other to jails and think that we are do­ing politics by abusing each oth­er. Some people want to become Amir-ul-Momineen and some others want to raise Tiger Force [to run the country]”.

“While we discourage the forced chanting of slogans like ‘Jiye Bhutto,’ we advocate for acknowledging each oth­er’s patriotism and refraining from questioning loyalty to the country”, he observed. 

In response to a group of PTI workers who chanted slogans in favor of Imran Khan during Bi­lawal’s speech, the PPP chair­man emphasised that despite conflicts with political leaders, he respected all political work­ers regardless of his associa­tion with the PPP. “I acknowl­edge and appreciate the slogans of other political groups, such as Tehreek-e-Insaaf and the PML-N. I genuinely respect ev­ery political worker”, he said. 

He said that it was unfortunate that internal conflicts among politicians have hindered assis­tance to victims of catastroph­ic floods. “To progress in poli­tics, the economy, and society, a departure from traditional ap­proaches is imperative”, he add­ed. Bilawal said that with 70 percent of the population com­prising youngsters, their voices must be considered. “As we aim to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Constitution, the future lies in the hands of the youth, who must assert their rights and make informed decisions to steer the country away from poverty, unemployment, and in­flation”, he said. 

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in his address thanked the Bar for giving him the opportunity to speak to the lawyers’ fraterni­ty. He said that the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court are the crime scenes of the mur­der of Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Two gen­erations have repeatedly come here to ask for justice. The mur­derer was Zia ul Haq, the judg­es of the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court along with the lawyers, politicians and bu­reaucrats who played the role of the facilitators. 

Chairman Bilawal said that he was grateful to Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and his brother judg­es for conducting a hearing of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Presidential Reference that had been sent by President Zardari twelve years ago. “When our judges wash the stains that co­lour their own institutions, not only will they provide justice to us and our Jiyalas but also write in stone that no other Prime Minister is treated in such a way in the future, be it of the PML-N or the PTI. 

This is the only way the coun­try can prosper”, he remarked. 

He said Pakistan was the fifth-largest population in the world and its people were ex­tremely hard working and had shown that despite the desti­tute resources, they could com­pete with the rest of the world. 

He said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had united the Muslim Ummah and conducted a meeting of the OIC in this very city, Lahore. “To­day, we are witnessing the bar­baric treatment of our Pales­tinian brothers and sisters. The same treatment had been met­ed out to them earlier, but we had ‘leaders’ at the time. He made them realise the signifi­cance of oil, since he possessed the farsightedness of a true vi­sionary”.