Accountability standards a ‘mockery of Constitution’: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday assailed the government’s standards of accountability as a “mockery of the Constitution” as he compared the differing legal circumstances of the PPP, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Bilawal made the remarks at a press conference in Islamabad, Geo News reported. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal referred to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif as “Raiwand’s prime minister” and said the latter was “sent abroad” despite his conviction, while the “president from Nawabshah” — Asif Zardari — remains in the country on medical bail despite “trumped-up charges”.

“I want to ask the Prime Minister what sort of accountability is being implemented in the country?” he said, claiming that when the Premier’s “friends” were being accused of a crime, no action was taken against them.

He also said no action was taken against the Prime Minister and his sister despite allegations of financial impropriety, but if the “sister of a former president from Nawabshah” — Faryal Talpur — is blamed for something, “she is dragged to jail from her hospital bed”.

“This system is a mockery of the Constitution,” the PPP chairman said. “If the opposition leader is from Lahore (Shahbaz Sharif), he is awarded bail, and if the opposition leader hails from Sukkur (Khurshid Shah), he is denied the right and treated like a ping-pong ball, sent back and forth from NAB courts to the Supreme Court,” Bilawal lamented. The PPP chairman claimed the authorities were repeatedly blackmailing Shah’s children and his wife.

Bilawal said the people would soon hold PTI and Khan accountable for their alleged corruption and mismanagement. He further vowed his party would not back down from its stance “despite the government’s pressure”.

Bilawal said the PPP would not back down as it believed in the power of the people and Parliament, adding that if the opposition parties were not capable of sending the government packing, the people would do their work for them in the next general elections.

“Why are you begging from Gulf countries and the IMF?” asked the PPP chairman, rejecting the government’s claims that Pakistan was progressing economically. “If you remember, former president Zardari had said ‘NAB and the economy cannot run together,’” he said.

Hitting out at the prime minister, Bilawal said judging by Khan’s statements, it was clear he was not aware of the common man’s problems. “The Prime Minister says Pakistan’s days of crisis are over. Not sure about the common man but the IMF’s difficult time is over, for sure,” he said, in sarcasm.

He said the incumbent finance minister had “admitted” that the government had been handling financial matters in a poor manner.