Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said the party has decided to withhold support for the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)-led government’s legislation until the resolution of all concerns, including over the results of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.
Speaking with journalists at Parliament House after a meeting with the leaders of the opposition in the Senate and National Assembly, he referred to his allegations of rigging during the AJK polls and questioned if “such treatment” was appropriate for an ally. He claimed the PPP had set aside its issues with the government ahead of every budget in the national interest and questioned if any of these had been addressed.
“My party has decided that PPP’s cooperation, coordination and legislation with the PMLN on general issues cannot continue until our legitimate concerns are addressed,” he said, while noting that cooperation could be extended on matters of national importance.
The PPP chairman said the government had yet to contact the PPP to address its concerns, adding political parties should sit together and resolve their differences through dialogue. He further dismissed reports he wished to proceed with “in-house change,” adding he wanted Parliament to play its constitutional role.
According to Bhutto-Zardari, the government has not yet approached the PPP regarding any new proposed constitutional amendment.
During the press talk, the PPP chairman reiterated his criticism of the conduct of the AJK elections, alleging rigging in several areas. He lamented that the conduct of the polls in phases, noting the electoral process was still ongoing. “If the PMLN wanted such a controversial election, then congratulations to them,” he said, maintaining such a setup could not resolve Kashmir’s problems.
He warned that it would be difficult for him to convince PPP legislators in AJK to agree to power-sharing arrangements with the PMLN in light of the elections process.
Opposition meeting
On his meeting with opposition leaders, the PPP chief said he had urged them to return to parliamentary standing committees to strengthen Parliament. He maintained the PPP had always respected Parliament, adding he hoped opposition parties would reconsider their decision to boycott committees.
“For Parliament to be functional, standing committees must be functional,” he said, stressing the PPP desired all political forces to talk to each other. He urged the opposition parties to play its role in electoral reforms through Parliament, stressing that improvement could only happen if they worked together on necessary reforms.
According to an official statement issued after the meeting, both sides discussed parliamentary affairs and national politics. It said the opposition leaders had assured the PPP chairman they would discuss the matter of returning to parliamentary committees with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman.
Both sides, read the statement, agreed to strengthen contacts on legislation in Parliament. It said the PPP leadership had also welcomed a Supreme Court order for the transfer of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan to hospital.
Imran Khan
To a question on proposals for new provinces, Bhutto-Zardari said the PPP would support the public’s desires. “Where there is consensus, the decision should be taken through consensus. Where there is no consensus, any political party that wants to discuss the issue should come forward,” he said, maintaining his party’s view on new provinces was always clear and it was wrong to claim the party opposed new provinces.
He noted the Sindh Assembly had repeatedly passed resolutions against the creation of new provinces. “I cannot even imagine conspiring against Punjab,” he said, referring to criticism that the PPP wanted to divide Punjab while maintaining the territorial boundaries of Sindh.
The PPP chairman stressed he wanted the PTI founder to receive medical treatment and fully recover. He said it would have been better for the government to take the step independently, but noted that several ministers and senior PMLN politicians had welcomed the ruling.
On reports of tensions between the government and the security establishment, Bhutto-Zardari said he could not say anything for sure but if there were something wrong, it would become clear sooner or later. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s intentions were good but claimed that people around him were contributing to worsening the situation.
He concluded his press talk by urging Parliament to begin performing its own responsibilities and stop celebrating allegedly manipulated electoral outcomes.