No political differences with PMLN: Bilawal

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday responded to the reports of rifts between his party and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), saying that there are no “no political differences” between the ruling parties.

“The PPP’s committee will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today once again. There is no political difference with the PMLN, however, there can be differences in policy. I hope in future we will move forward in light of Charter of Democracy,” said Bilawal while addressing the media persons after Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah’s oath-taking ceremony.

His comments came after differences emerged between the PPP and PMLN regarding administrative matters in the province of Punjab and the federal budget. The PPP members had shared their concerns with Bilawal, saying the government is not paying heed to their requests.

“There has been a good working relationship with the PMLN leaders. However, it is our right to have a difference of opinion and we will continue to raise it on a relevant forum,” said the PPP chairman.

Bilawal said that he doesn’t see any political difference with the PMLN in future as well.

Talking about the concerns of his party, the chairman said that the PPP wants a non-controversial census, adding that they had issues with the previous census as well. “I think that this census will remain controversial in the future,” he added.

Bilawal also spoke about the funds for the rehabilitation of the flood victims in Sindh, hoping that the reservation of funds will be resolved and the federal government should contribute to the relief.

He added that they will place the party’s manifesto before the entire nation. He also said that PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is coming back soon and will go to Lahore.

He said that the elected representatives, whether they are from any party, the same now, and they have to work together for the welfare of public. He suggested the Jamaat-e-Islami to work jointly for the people of Karachi.

He said that JI was trying to capture the city with the support from Lahore’s Zaman Park.

Bilawal said that the prosperity of Karachi is now his responsibility and he would personally look after the city’s issues. He said that having mayor and deputy mayor elected from the PPP in Karachi is a historical victory. Those who are alleging them of rigging, he said, would be responded to by their performance for the city. He said that in 1979, 1983, 2001 the PPP could not get its mayor elected in Karachi, because of rigging, but today when the era of dictators and selectors have come to an end, the PPP is winning in the entire country, including Kashmir.

The foreign minister said that the city’s issues are linked with the federal government, but the provincial government would also support the mayor of Karachi. He stressed that under the leadership of Wahab, Karachi will witness the best local government set-up. He said that their slogan in the local government elections was ‘Our Karachi’, which led to the burial of the hate and division politics in the city. He said that the party will keep its manifesto in front of the public for upcoming general elections.

Speaking on K-IV issue, he said, the PPP has been raising its voice on the water scarcity in Karachi since long. He said that the water project was delayed in different tenures of different governments. In the current budget, he said, the prime minister has kept a huge chunk of allocation for the K-IV project

Earlier, Barrister Murtaza Wahab and Salman Abdullah Murad were sworn in as mayor and deputy mayor of Karachi here at the Gulshan-e-Jinnah, formerly known as polo ground.

Sindh Provincial Election Commissioner Aijaz Anwar Chohan administered the oath to the mayor and deputy mayor separately.

Besides Bilawal, Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and provincial ministers were also present there.

The other day, Bilawal had said his party will abstain from endorsing the recently-announced budget in the National Assembly unless the commitments made to the party regarding areas affected by flooding are honoured.

A high-level meeting, chaired by the premier, between the two political entities took place last week; however, the PPP chairman was unable to attend the meeting, as he was out of Islamabad.