Establishment seems to be neutral: Bilawal

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/GUJRANWALA: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said that for now, it seems that institutions are playing a neutral role in the Senate elections.

While addressing a press conference in Lahore he said, “We criticise only when their character is not neutral. It is heartening to see institutions function within their boundaries”. He said that the PPP had been trying for the last three generations for every institution to work within their domain according to the Constitution. He said that if the establishment is neutral then we should welcome this. Flanked by PPP leaders Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood and Qamar Zaman Kaira, Bilawal said that all the parties in PDM are jointly giving this incapable government a tough time.

“The responsibility of the opposition is to fight for the rights of the people. Now we have exposed this selected and incapable government not only before the people of Pakistan but also before the entire world. This government tried to carryout massive rigging in by-election in Daska but was exposed.”

Bilawal said that Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) has short and long term goals and its short term goal is to send this selected and puppet government packing which has added to people's woes and the long term goal is to strengthen democracy.

He thanked PML-N and JUI leadership for accepting PPP candidate Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as the candidate of PDM for the Senate seat from Islamabad. “We all jointly worked for the supremacy of the Parliament and succeeded and now the government has also started talking to their own members who they were ignoring for the last 30 months. We know that we are fighting this battle with less numbers of members but we are fighting this battle of democracy. We are giving a tough time to the government and will continue to do so. After the election of Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani the chapter of the restoration of democracy will begin.”

“The march will also begin by the end of the month of March. It is time to say that just one more push is needed for the wall to fall,” he said.

PPP chairman said that a group of journalists were forcing us not to take part in by-elections and for us to resign; I have made it clear that they should not try to teach us politics because we do not teach them journalism. Our stance is that we will confront this government in the political field according to Constitution. Pakistan is in an economic mess and facing historical and unprecedented poverty and price-hike. This is the issue of the common man and can only be solved through a free Parliament, he said.

Earlier, a meeting of members of National and Punjab assemblies was held chaired by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The meeting was held at the residence of president PPP south Punjab, Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood and discussed upcoming Senate elections and movement against government.

On the other hand, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday held telephonic conversations with Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman on upcoming Senate elections and anti-government policies of the PDM with focusing on long march.

According to sources, the focus of telephonic talk between Bilawal and Maulana Fazl was to discuss finalising the PDM’s joint candidates from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). It is expected that the PDM will decide about the joint candidates for the Senate elections from KP today (Thursday).

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, along with former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani is expected to hold meeting with PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today (Thursday).

Bilawal and Gilani along with senior party leadership will visit the residence of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Jati Umra in Lahore on the luncheon meeting, invited by Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The meeting was part of the ongoing campaign of Gilani, who is a joint candidate of the PDM in the upcoming senate elections from Islamabad.

Besides the upcoming Senate election, the meeting between the PPP and PML-N will be focused on the strategy for the PDM’s long march scheduled to be held from March 26.

While, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said that they had fought a war for the honour of the vote, despite the bullying and rigging and flour, sugar, and electricity thieves had to face a shameful defeat in the by-elections.

While addressing to workers here in Wazirabad, Maryam claimed that the rigging in Daska elections was carried out by agencies working under the prime minister. She said that Daska belonged to Nawaz Sharif before and will remain so. “After defeat in every province, Imran Khan robbed Daska’s seat. Robbery in Punjab cost Imran Khan dearly, people caught him red handed,” she said.

She said polling was intentionally slowed down to defeat the PML-N and the voters were kept out of the voting process, re-election is needed not only in the 20 constituencies but in the entire constituency," she said.

Maryam claimed that the party had irrefutable evidence to prove rigging in the by-election Daska and demanded that the Election Commission to serve justice to the people of Daska and Pakistan and the eyes of 220 million people are on the Election Commission, vote thieves should be exposed.

The PML-N leader said Imran Khan's government was "facing disgrace" at every turn, adding that people in Nowshera had also voted for the PML-N by an "overwhelming majority". Maryam congratulated the PML-N candidates Talat Shaukat and Nosheen Iftikhar for defeating the government in by-election of Wazirabad and Daska.

While in a statement on Wednesday, Maryam Nawaz said the presidential reference of open ballot is a political issue and Supreme Court (SC) should not become a party in it. “If the Supreme Court comes to support the sinking ship of Imran Khan, then the nation will consider the court as biased,” she said in a statement issued here on Wednesday after the release of Hamza Shahbaz. Maryam said Hamza Shahbaz fought oppression with courage and bravery. She said after 22 years Allah gave Hamza a daughter and she grew up without him.

In the Broadsheet case, Nawaz Sharif was paid Rs4.5 million, she said, adding the country was defamed all over the world. The national treasury will have to account for the damage done by flour thieves and sugar thieves, she said. “The nation's tax money will be recovered by selling Banigala's palace or Zaman Park's house,” she said.

“The news of a new NAB notice, issued against me, reached me but maybe it vanished in the fog,” she said, adding she was not afraid of these people at all. “You cannot intimidate anyone by putting them in jail in false cases. I am stronger than before,” she asserted.

She said the government has failed at every level. These people were the culprits of the nation and 22 crore people of Pakistan were watching the Election Commission of Pakistan to punish those who were responsible for rigging in by-polls.

“With Shahbaz coming out, we will be one and one-eleven,” she said.

Maryam concluded that the looted people's money will be taken out from the pockets of the friends of Banigala.