Polls on Feb 8, whether PMLN likes it or not: Bilawal

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Wednesday whether the PMLN (Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz) liked it or not, elections would take place on February 8 at all costs.

Addressing the party activists in NA-127 here, he claimed the PMLN had been in the habit of running away from elections; be it the local government, by-election or general election. However, he added, now the PPP jiyalas would show the PMLN through electioneering that polls would take place on Feb 8, and it would have no place to run away. The PPP would emerge victorious and change the destiny of people, he claimed.

Bilawal said his party was ready for the contest but the PMLN existed nowhere in Lahore. “I have heard the region is dominated by PMLN, but it is nowhere to be seen. No one knows who their candidates are,” said the PPP chairman.

He added that it was also heard that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had great influence in Lahore “but people should tell us whether that is the case”. He said the PPP was the sole party that was ready to contest elections in Lahore. He said a team chosen by him for the constituency would work day and night to become the voice of people and represent them. “We have been asking Misbahur Rehman to contest elections from Lahore for long, and he has finally agreed and will be our candidate from PP-160,” Bilawal added. Moreover, the PPP had decided that Faisal Mir would be its candidate in PP-161. Manzar Abbas Khokhar, who left the PMLN and joined PPP, would represent the party in PP-162. He said Bhatti, a ticketholder of PTI in the past, had joined the PPP and he would represent his party from PP-163. Gurkhi would be representing the party in PP-157, he said adding that it was the PPP’s electoral panel from NA-127.