Bilawal asks PM to give 3-year record instead of giving lecture

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Wednesday accused the government for non-serious attitude on electoral reforms and said that the if the government was serious in electoral reforms then the electoral reforms has to be through consensus and unless keep the role of establishment away from election process there would be no success of or benefit of electoral reforms.

“We are ready to work with Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to how to make it powerful on these two points and also ready to work with our opposition parties as Shehbaz Sharif has also invited the opposition parties in Electoral Reforms Conference where the PPP delegation will also go but will not allow the government to rig the elections,“ he said while addressing a press conference along with former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Secretary General PPP Parliamentarians Farhatullah Babar here at Zardari House on Wednesday.

Bilawal said if the government was serious in bringing the electoral reforms then it should not have brought the ordinance in darkness of night. “They have taken steps not to stop rigging but for rigging and undermining the Election Commission of Pakistan,” he said. He said if the electoral reforms then it should be through Parliament with engaging every one and by consensus and whenever the electoral reforms were made these were made only through consensus otherwise no one accept. He said, “The government wants to make the Election Commission of Pakistan submissive and weak.” He said if the government was in serious then it should have taken the Parliament with it. “The rigging was started in the country to stop the PPP since 70,” he said.

He said the elections were stolen from PPP in 2002, in 2006 the PPP accepted the result under protest and 2013 former president Asif Ali Zardari statement is on record and whatever happens after it which endorsed Asif Ali Zardari statement. “In his first speech, Imran Khan should have to say that he did not have legitimate mandate so I am call re-election,” he said.

Replying to the question by the journalists Bilawal said that the prime minister should give account for past three years, not say what he will do next. “Now the prime minister has no time, the people will hold him accountable. We will hold you accountable for all these wrongdoings. Instead of telling stories, the speech should tell us the solution to problems,” he said.

He said the prime minister was misleading the people instead of telling stories, in his speech should tell us the solution to problems. “People do not want a lecture on history or Islamic history from Imran Khan and what happens in different parts of the world, you had to give a three-year record, you are lecturing us, and you are trying to fool the nation as the people want to hear what is happening in Lahore, Quetta, Karachi and Multan instead of lectures on history,” he said.

Bilawal said that the whole budget session was an insult to the people. “Due to the role of the government and the attitude of the speaker, what should have happened did not happen,” he said. He said the opposition was deprived of our rights, we could not even record our votes.

The PPP chairman said that every step made by the government is benefitting the rich not the poor. “The people for the past three years have been hearing the same thing over and over again,” he said.

Bilawal said the public doesn't want to hear about the NRO and how bad it was before. “You have given tax amnesty for these people and this budget is also ‘NRO’ to the rich, there is relief for the rich and distress for the poor,” he said.

He said the Prime minister Imran Khan has made the life of living hell for the people of Pakistan in the name of “Naya Pakistan’. He said the economic team of the government was so capable that it was replaced thrice. ‘The economic team of the government was even presenting fake economic statistics,” he said. He said the people must have confidence in the state and democracy. “You are giving arrest powers in the name of FBR which is totally wrong,” he said.

Bilawal said that Asad Qaiser has been the worst speaker in the country's parliamentary history. “The opposition was deprived of its right by the NA Speaker. Leader of the House means accountable to the nation and parliament,” he said.

In a reply to a question with regard the absence of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif during the budget passage, Bilawal said Shehbaz Sharif could not attend the session due to a death in his family but the other opposition members should have been in the house. “It is hoped that JUI-F and PMLN will issue show cause notices to their members and will send notices to members who were not in the House,” he said.

In a reply to question, the Bilawal said no other agency should interfere in the work of NAB and the NAB should not follow the orders of individual. ‘The NAB should not become the tool of the political victimization of Imran Khan,” he said. He said unless the NAB chairman and all officers bring their assets, they have no moral right to check the assets of others.

He strongly condemned the NAB raid on the house of Aijaz Jakhrani and said that the raid was conducted at a time when Aijaz Jakhrani was not even at home. “The NAB was taking action against Aijaz Jhakrani and other PPP members only for political reasons,” he said.

In a reply to a question, he said the government has left the people destitute. “The staff of the MNAs were committing suicide due to price hike,” he said.

In a reply to another question about the no-confidence motion against NA Speaker, Bilawal said the PPP opinion was that the way opposition leader was attacked and opposition vote stolen during the budget session then the opposition should bring it in a protest. “If all the opposition agrees then the PPP will play its role from frontline,” he said.

It would be foolish to accept US arbitration on Kashmir: AJK PM

By Our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan Wednesday said that it would be foolish for Pakistan to ask the US to arbitrate on the Kashmir issue with India.

“The government of Pakistan cannot take matters like this after India’s usurpation of occupied Kashmir on August 5,” said Haider.

He said that the upcoming elections in Azad Kashmir will be fought against the agenda of partition of Kashmir.

AJK premier, who was flanked by his cabinet members, and party members, announced to stay away from the scheduled briefing on national security on July 1 as a protest.

He said this while addressing a news conference here and asked who gave Prime Minister Imran Khan the power to change the map of Kashmir? “If they want to forget the past, forget it. We will not forget,” he emphasised. He alleged that Imran and Modi are two sides of the same coin. Farooq Haider of the PML-N alleged that Imran Khan has made the post of prime minister of Pakistan controversial and charged he (Imran) was carrying out naked aggression to win the election of Azad Kashmir. He ruled out the possibility of any political dialogue with PM Imran, as he would only do tampering with the ball. He said elections will be held in Azad Kashmir on July 25. Elections are being fought under the national agenda. He said Kashmir has an international agenda and Imran Khan and his government does not tolerate international pressure on Kashmir.

AJK premier said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had openly violated the UN resolutions and Imran-led PTI government had not been able to present the case of Kashmir effectively at the international level.

Imran Khan’s government, he claimed, wanted to change the map of the state and asked who was Imran Khan to do so? He also alleged that the state institutions were being made controversial.

To a question, AJK prime minister said, “We have full faith in the 220 million people of Pakistan and have no faith in the PTI government. Our fears have increased after the foreign minister’s statement. India is escalating atrocities in occupied Kashmir”.

“Millions of Kashmiris have made unprecedented sacrifices. Imran’s government is on the path of partition of Kashmir. In 1956, the National Conference had also passed a resolution for annexation with India, which was rejected by the United Nations,” he added.

He contended that the UN resolutions were violated by making Gilgit-Baltistan a province. The 2021 election is against the partition of Kashmir. He thanked PMLN Quaid Nawaz Sharif for giving him unprecedented development funds.

“I want to tell the people of Azad Kashmir that the system in Pakistan is not working. Imran Khan is providing money in Azad Kashmir elections. PM House is being used for Azad Kashmir elections.