No compromise on Pakistan’s security: Bilawal

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s “biggest sin” is raising the routed militants back on their feet, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Saturday as he berated the deposed prime minister for his soft narrative against terrorists.

Without taking names, Bilawal spoke about Ehsanullah Ehsan, former spokesperson of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and stated that the culprits of the Army Public School (APS) attack fled abroad during Khan’s tenure.

“Terrorists involved in the APS attack got released from the prison and are now giving lectures in Turkiye,” he said while addressing workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Karachi.

In February 2020, Ehsan claimed in an audio message circulating on social media that he was no longer in the state’s custody and had managed to “escape”. A few days later, the development was confirmed by then-interior minister Ijaz Shah, who admitted Ehsan’s escape.

“Those who referred to us as an imported government, in fact, imported terrorism. Imran Khan released terrorists from jails,” the foreign minister said. Bilawal said we fought terrorists in the past and are still ready to fight terrorism. “We will defeat terrorists,” the minister said, underlining that Pakistan will succeed against terrorists despite a lack of resources.

Censuring the deposed prime minister for being an apologist of terrorism, the foreign minister said that Khan made a deal on the martyrs blood. The minister, speaking about the recent spate of terror attacks in the country, said the PPP government in the past not only fought against terrorism but also defeated it.

Bilawal said the former prime minister Imran Khan didn’t honour the sacrifices of martyrs in the country as “those who labelled us as an imported government themselves imported terrorism into the country.” He further said that Imran Khan imported terrorism, took the defeated terrorists out of jails of Afghanistan and brought them to the tribal areas.

Chairman Bilawal said that in the war against terrorism, the army, police personnel, civilians and innocent students of APS also embraced martyrdom. Due to these sacrifices, Pakistan has defeated the terrorists. Even NATO could not do that. He said that Imran Khan has damaged democracy, economy and society, a burden which is being borne by the common man.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Imran Khan brought back the terrorists without asking the Parliament, the people and families of martyrs. “The presence of terrorism in the country now is because of Imran Khan. He is the very reason behind the increase in terrorism and crime. This is the biggest sin of Imran Khan,” he said.

FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari further stressed that Imran Khan’s terrorism policy would have to be reviewed. “We would have to make the policy according to the interests of Pakistan. We will not compromise on the writ of the state”.

He reminded about the mission to take down terrorists in Pakistan of his mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, whose death anniversary was commemorated a few days ago.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that whenever there is a battle, the truth along with democratic forces would win as puppets and selected will be defeated. He said that Imran’s politics of hatred had damaged democracy, society and economy. “If we want to emerge from these crises, the manifesto of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto will act as a beacon of hope and guide us,” he said.

Bilawal said that the PPP had used a democratic mean to drive the incompetent and illegitimate selected PM out of power. “Today even after six months, anguished screams can be heard from Bani Gala. We went against the selected rule. Sending the selected ruler home is a victory for the jiyalas, who earlier fought dictators like Yahya Khan and Ziaul Haq, drove out Musharraf and then kicked out the puppet,” he said.

“We have fought all forms of terrorism. We have fought extremism and religious terrorism. The jiyalas sacrificed their lives to defeat them,” said the foreign minister.

He said the entire Karachi is ready for elections as now even the flood is over. Now, Karachi and Hyderabad should get their representatives. “We have no fear of who will win or lose. There should be a fair and transparent election, the winners will be accepted,” Chairman Bilawal stated.

He further said that seeing the spirit of PPP workers, it is apparent that the next mayor of Karachi would be a jiyala. The PPP chairman said that his party has provided free treatment facilities to the people in the province, improved the sanitation system and introduced affordable public transport. The sanitation and transport systems will be extended to every district after Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur.