ISLAMABAD - PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday emphatically said his party will never support any coup in the country.

At a media interaction at his residence here, the PPP leader said he had reservations against the statement of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan who claimed people will distribute sweets if there was a coup.

“We have been struggling for democracy; we will not support any unconstitutional move. We are not happy with the government’s performance but the people should always be the decision makers. Democracy will prevail as it is the best revenge,” he said.

Earlier, Imran Khan said the people of Turkey foiled a coup bid because their government was not corrupt but if the same had happened in Pakistan, “people would have distributed sweets.”

Later, the cricketer-turned politician defended his statement saying the government had miserably failed in every department and had lost its right to rule.

Bilawal said he agreed with Khan on the alleged poor performance of the government but since the PPP was a democratic party, it could never speak in favour of any unconstitutional move to dislodge an elected government.

The PPP had faced a coup in 1977 when its government was toppled by General Ziaul Haq. PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then Prime Minister, was implicated in controversial cases and ultimately executed in 1979.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s previous government also met the same fate in 1999 when Pervez Musharraf sent his government packing. Sharif was later sent into exile and a few years after his return in 2007 he won back his lost seat.

Asked, how would the PPP get rid of a ‘corrupt’ government if it did not support steps to topple it, Bilawal said, there were constitutional ways to bring about a change.

The PPP leader warned the government against rigging in the Azad Jammu Kashmir elections as it could result in dire consequences. “If there is rigging and the rulers tried to change the election results, the government will forget the 2014 sit-ins (by the PTI),” he said.

Bilawal did not say whether it would be a sit-in or a protest movement against the government. “We know what we have to do but can’t share it with you at this time,” he added.

Questioned, if he would be ready for alliance with Imran Khan, he said: “There are some points on which we agree and somewhere we don’t agree. But our reconciliation policy is not only for the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), it is for all the parties. There can be a working relationship with Imran Khan.”

Attacking the government, Bilawal said the Prime Minister was saving friendship with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi while the occupant forces were butchering the Kashmiris.

“The Prime Minister has been inactive on Kashmir. We are for better ties with all the countries but still we have been raising hue and cry. I have been speaking about the Kashmir issue since I joined politics,” he said.

He said whenever he spoke about Modi in his rallies there was a great response. “The people want Modi to end the bloodshed in Kashmir. Our PM should play an active role for Kashmir like us. Recently when my images were being burned in India, nobody from the government defended me. How can we forget Kashmir,” he contended.

He said Prime Minister Sharif gave a clean chit to Modi after he came to power despite the fact that even the United States had then blacklisted him. “The PM even stopped contacting the Huriyat leaders to please Modi. I am sure the Kashmiris in AJK will never vote for the PML-N,” he maintained.

Bilawal said the government had no foreign policy as there were tensions on all borders of Pakistan. He said Sharif served as the country’s premier thrice, adding the PM had no excuse regarding the absence of the country’s Foreign Minister when terrorism had become a global issue.

The PPP chief said the time had come to work on the country’s foreign policy, adding the government was responsible for the persisting tensions on the borders.

On the Panama leaks issue, Bilawal said it was shameful that the names of the country’s leaders were in the Panama Papers. He said those who termed Benazir Bhutto as corrupt were now hiding their own corruption.

“Those who criticise others should now answer why the process of accountability has not taken place three months after the issue (Panama Papers) surfaced,” he questioned.

The PPP chief said those assuming the throne of Raiwind - PM Sharif and family - considered themselves clean, adding the public was set to seek answers from the leaders.

Bilawal said the government was not capitalist but monopolist. “They are running all the businesses to loot the masses,” he alleged.

He said the PPP will not compromise on its ideology. “There have been ups and downs (in popularity) but we cannot change the ideology. I will make efforts to carry on the works of my mother (Benazir Bhutto),” he added.