ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said that the ‘selected’ Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government was ruling the country through social media.

Speaking at a multi-party conference here to mark 15th death anniversary of democracy icon, late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Bilawal said the rulers were making mockery of the important national issues.

The PPP chief said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was using the social media even to announce foreign policy. “The government is playing with the national issues. They are making important issues a joke. Even the foreign policy is being announced on the social media,” he said.

Bilawal said that the Prime Minister Khan should have travelled to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly session to highlight Pakistan’s stance on the international issues and tension with India.

“The PM could have highlighted Kashmir issue in the UNGA. Imran Khan should tell the nation why he opted to stay away from the UNGA. The United Nations is the most important forum to discuss these issues,” he maintained.

The PPP chief said that the PTI-led government was ‘politicising’ non-issues and diverting the people’s attention from the real issues. He alleged that the government had enlarged the begging bowl instead of breaking it. “They plan to run the country with donations. Inflation has made the situation worse. The mini-budget has broken the backbone of the people,” he said.

Bilawal opposed the government’s plan to construct new dams on River Indus, claiming that thousands of acres of Sindh’s coastal land would drown into the sea. “We need a national consensus on dams. We should build dams but where will the water come from? The real cause of the water crisis is the unjust distribution of water,” he argued.

The PPP chief pledged to continue to fight against non-democratic forces and pursue the vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan’s son Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan said on the occasion that his father had formed several alliances to strengthen democracy. He said that Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan fought dictatorships all his life and died while still being head of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

“Democracy in Pakistan is indebted to Nawazbzada. Whenever we discuss democracy, his name will always be on the top of the list,” he said.

Senator Jahanzeb Jalamdini of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl said that Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan deserved an international conference on his life as he fought for rights of people for decades. He proposed that the government should include Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan’s struggle in the textbooks.

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leader Maulana Asad Mehmood said that Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan’s life was a lesson for politicians. “All his life was a struggle for democracy. He was a symbol of the opposition to the dictatorship. We must work hard to fulfil the dream of Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan, who wanted to see a fully democratic Pakistan,” he added.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan said that democracy was still in danger 15 years after Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan’s death. “We need to work even harder to save democracy today. We have to join hands to realise the mission of Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan. We are still struggling to form an alliance of the opposition against the rigging in the (July) elections,” he contended.

National Party chief Mir Hasil Khan Bizinjo said the political leadership must chalk out a strategy for the future. “There is an invisible martial law in the country. The people are being misguided that politicians are corrupt. Bilawal must show the passion of (Zulfikar Ali) Bhutto. We have to improve the image of the politicians,” he emphasised.

Former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan supported freedom of media and a strong democratic system. “It is unfortunate that those at the helm of affairs were not part of the great struggle for democracy,” he remarked.

Anchorperson Hamid Mir also counted services of Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan for democracy and the rule of law. “Nawazbzada Nasrullah Khan was also a journalist. He had a role in Pakistan movement. He led several movements against dictatorship,” Mir said.