ISLAMABAD   -   Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said yesterday that PPP was open to people who want to return to the party fold.

Speaking to journalists here, Bilawal said people who had always been sincere to the PPP will be dealt differently and “we will also work with the old comrades who are coming back.”  “PPP’s doors are open for everyone who raised the slogan of Jeay Bhutto. We want to form a progressive government in this country and for this, we will take along whoever is ready to work with us,” he added.

To a question about Mian Manzoor Watoo, Bilawal said that Watoo says that he never left PPP so “we think that we should work with everyone.” He said that PPP will not support government’s legislation to facilitate convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. To a question about the shortage of gas in Sindh, Chairman Bilawal said that crisis of energy sector which is looming on Pakistan will have to be borne by the common people of Pakistan.  He said the latest is a very disputed and anti-people budget. “If the House is not complete and there is no representation of Waziristan and Sukkur, then as we say, the entire budget process is illegal. The speaker should take note of the decision of Islamabad High Court into account for issuing production orders of Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah. The opposition leader has sent in writing to the speaker for the production order of Khursheed Shah. I have also sent a letter to the speaker today,” he added.

Regarding the death of Usman Kakar, Bilawal said that “we have great respect for Usman Kakar and he was an honourable colleague, we will miss him in the Parliament. We tried our best but unfortunately, we lost him. We will do according to the demands of his family and his party. The government should also address those demands.”

On Afghanistan, he said that he had a point in his budget speech about it, because Pakistan has been dealing with this situation since1980. 

“Whatever happens in Afghanistan will impact the entire region and the world. We would have to face the consequences for decades for the decisions we make about Afghanistan now. This is why we demanded that the ministries and institutions which are involved in negotiations should bring the negotiation on record. PPP has a viewpoint and it should be heard. We will hear them out but the way our government and international powers are handling the situation, is not making things easy for Pakistan and Afghanistan and our coming generations,” he said. Bilawal said as far as giving airbases to the United States, “it is up to the government, and we hope that the decisions taken will be in the interest of Pakistan. We do not trust the prime minister because he takes u-turns and we are concerned that he might take a u-turn on this as well.”

On the Azad Jammu Kashmir elections, Chairman Bilawal said that he is starting the campaign from tomorrow. About the political activities in the Punjab, he said that not only Punjab, but in the entire Pakistan the situation for PPP is going to improve and President Zardari’s role is very important in all this.