PPP to back govt over transparent accountability system: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Wednesday said his party will support the government if it brings a strong and transparent system of accountability.

Talking to media persons outside the Parliament House, Bilawal said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was formed only for character assassination of politicians. He said accountability should be for all, otherwise, it will continue to face criticism.

The PPP chairman rejected the threats of governor’s rule in Sindh and said the PPP was not afraid of such threats hurled by those who assume themselves to be unsafe. “The PPP got larger majority in Sindh than the previous tenure and it will not let anyone to steal the mandate of people of the province,” he said while talking to media persons outside the Parliament House.

Bilawal said the PTI has a weak chief minister in Punjab, while the federal government is standing on the support of a few votes. He said the tsunami of price hike has hit the country. He said it was unfortunate that the issue of national economy was never discussed in the parliament.

“The way the prices are rising in the country, it was never witnessed in the past. Now the government has raised the prices of electricity, gas and petroleum products that will overburden the people,” he said.

Bilawal said Prime Minister Imran Khan used to say that he would prefer suicide rather than begging, but now the government is carrying a begging bowl everywhere.

“There was no foreign policy of the present government as it only revolves around begging,” he said, adding that the present government neither has an economic policy nor foreign policy.

He said the government has no answers foreign, economic and national security policies and it hasn’t taken the parliament and opposition into confidence over the recent visits of Saudi Arabia and China. “The PTI government has completely failed to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) as it did an agreement with the protestors in the shadow of darkness,” he said.

The PPP chairman said the protestors were hurling threats against judges and army officials. He said no softness should have been shown to the protesters. He asked why a ‘Naya Pakistan’ was built if the government cannot maintain its writ. To another question regarding the creation of south Punjab province, the PPP chairman said the promise of the PTI in this regard is unlikely to be fulfilled.

“We have proposed to the PTI government that they could use the PPP bill for the creation of south Punjab and even take credit for it. We will support the PTI for the creation of south Punjab province,” he said, adding that the PTI has not given a positive response on the PPP’s offer. He said if the government did not take serious steps towards the creation of south Punjab province, then the PTI will face a backlash.

Meanwhile, the PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari claimed that his party will form the next government after winning the elections. Arriving in Khairpur on two-day visit, Zardari lauded Sindhis for showing support to the PPP in the 2018 general elections. “I feel blissful when I see people of my country happy,” he added.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah met Zardari in Nawabshah and briefed him on the under-construction development projects across the province.