Bilawal gives Imran 24-hour ultimatum

GUJJAR KHAN/ LALAMUSA: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday gave Prime Minister Imran Khan 24 hours to resign, dissolve the assembly or get ready to be ousted through a no-confidence motion.

Addressing the Awami March participants in Lalamusa, he said selected prime minister and his government would be sent packing through all democratic means. However, he added, “umpire’s neutrality would be tested when the no-confidence motion would be presented in the assembly”.

He said the ‘selected’ had become frightened to the extent that he had started abusing the opposition leaders and calling them names. He warned Imran Khan that the PPP would not abuse him, although it could do so. His ministers would keep on copying him in abusing the political opponents until they all are sent packing, he added.

The PPP chairman said his party started the Awami Long March from Karachi on February 27, and people kept joining it on the way to Islamabad. He saluted the people of Pakistan for taking to the streets for ridding the country of the selected premier.

Bilawal said the whole nation was demonstrating against ‘PTIMF’, referring to the alleged nexus between the PTI [government] and the IMF. He said people had rejected the economic policies of the government. He said puppet prime minister was responsible for the whole economic crisis in the country. The common man was drowning in the tsunami of inflation, he said adding that growers had been deprived of their rights.

Bilawal said Imran Khan government begged for loans, which were three times more than those ever acquired in the past. He claimed that the days of Imran Khan were numbered now and people could not carry with his blunders. Bilawal said “we will attack you [Imran Khan] democratically”. Bilawal said “a Satan of Pindi [Sheikh Rashid Ahmed] has said that Imran Khan will not sit at home after his dismissal. He is right as Imran Khan will be behind the bars. He will be held answerable in the foreign funding case”.

The PPP chief said one who used to call all others thieves was himself the biggest thief of all times. He had promised that he would give 10 million jobs, but he snatched jobs from people. “It's time to send him packing. The PPP will form a government that will be your [people’s] government, where the common man will be able to say that this is our own government,” Bilawal claimed.

Earlier, in Gujrat, Bilawal said that “Go selected go” had become the slogan of the entire nation. The long march against the selected rulers was heading towards Islamabad successfully. He claimed that Imran Khan was in power because of someone else. "It's not because of your votes, it's because of an umpire's signal," he said. "We did not recognise this incompetent PM from day one." The damage done to the country by him had not been done in the whole history, he added.

PPP leader Chaudhry Qamar Zaman Kaira, addressing the participants, said that during the times of Bhutto Shaheed, Lalamusa was "Mini Larkana", and people of Lalamusa proved that even today it is the "Mini Larkana". He said until jiyalas are alive, Lalamusa would remain the same. PPP Central Punjab President Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also addressed the participants at Lalamusa and Gujrat.

Later on, addressing the rally participants in Sara-e-Alamgir, Jhelum and Gujar Khan, Bilawal said the puppet Imran Khan had a little time left to resign, and dissolve the assembly, so that free and fair elections could take place in country.

“Otherwise, Jiyalas are coming to dislodge him. We will reach D-Chowk and launch the process of removing the selected, incapable, illegitimate puppet, i.e. Imran Khan,” he said on his way to Islamabad.

At Gujar Khan, a big crowd welcomed the PPP chairman by raising the slogan of 'Prime Minister Bilawal'. Bilawal said those who used to say the PPP had lost presence in Punjab should have a look at crowds coming to attend the Awami March public meetings. “Punjab belonged to the PPP yesterday, it belongs to the PPP today, and it will belong to the PPP tomorrow,” he claimed.

He said Imran Khan was damaging relations with the European Union. Pakistan has billions of dollars' worth of trade with Europe. “Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis work and live in Europe,” he added.

Of late, the long march reached Rawat on night between Monday and Tuesday. The long march would reach its final destination D-Chowk Islamabad today (Tuesday) morning via Expressway For the participants, a tent city has been established.