Bilawal blames Imran Khan for TTP resurgence in KP

DADU: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Tuesday said Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was being funded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan had himself admitted to reintroducing the TTP militants back in the province they were expelled from. 

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was addressing a press conference during his visit to flood-hit city KN Shah in Dadu district on Tuesday. He offered condolences to Imran Leghari and Asad Leghari on the death of their father ex-federal minister, Haji Zaffar Leghari, in Sita Road, KN Shah.

Talking to the media in Dadu, the foreign minister said the PTI government freed the Army Public School (APS) attackers. “Neither the nation nor I will forgive the perpetrators of APS attack,” said Bilawal.

The FM advised the PTI chief to return to the Parliament, saying all his strategies, including the two long marches, failed. “Imran’s politics is harming not only him but the country too,” said Bilawal. He added that they could not call for an election because of Imran Khan’s stubbornness and egocentrism.

“The PTI lawmakers claim they want to resign from the assemblies, but they disappear when the National Assembly speaker summons them to verify their resignations,” said the PPP chairman.

He added that the PTI chief was marching towards the capital while one-third of the country had been suffering from floods.

Talking about the recent rift with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) over the delimitation of constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad, the PPP leader said that they wanted to deal with them according to their agreement. He added that they had disagreements with the MQM-P and would have them in the future also, but they were ready to talk to them about anything.

Bilawal said they wanted to improve the local government system and were ready to engage with every party over the issue, as the local government polls had already been postponed multiple times.

Talking about the devastation caused by the floods, Bilawal said the global community aided Pakistan amid the disaster adding that every platform, from the United Nations to the COP27 conference in Sharm-ul-Shaikh, had admitted that Pakistan suffered major losses.

The PPP chief added that the rehabilitation process would speed up after January 9, adding that it was just the start of rehab process. “Whatever they collect at the International Donors Conference in Geneva on January 9 will be used for flood rehabilitation,” said Bilawal.

He said many areas of Sindh and Balochistan were still under water, and people still needed relief goods such as blankets and clothes for winter.

Bilawal said they would provide stipends to flood-affected people in the light of surveys, adding that the affected would also be given interest-free loans and allotted lands. The government would build an infrastructure that could survive such a disaster in future.

Bilawal said they could not repair such major damage quickly but would hasten the rehab process after January 9. He added that they would build solar and wind energy zones under public-private partnership in Sindh.

Replying to a question about foreign support for flood relief efforts, Bilawal said he was thankful to UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres who arrived in Pakistan during the flood disaster and visited the flood-hit areas, informed the world about the crisis and appealed to it to support Pakistan at a difficult time. He said the UN secretary general was busy but on the request of Pakistan government, he arrived and observed with his own eyes the flood-hit areas.

He thanked WHO and WFP that also lent a lot of support besides USAID, China, the UAE and other countries.