PPP wants CoD implementation, says Bilawal

Says his mother was forced to live in exile and his father kept in jail for 11 years without any case; why is PM escaping ehtesab if he has clean hands?

MIRPUR, Azad Kashmir: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday said his party wanted implementation of all the clauses of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed by his mother Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Bilawal said his mother was forced to live in exile while his father was kept in jail for 11 years without any case.Addressing a public gathering here, he said there was no threat to democracy from accountability (Ehtesab) but the threat was to ‘Takht-e-Raiwind’.

He said if Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had not committed corruption and he had clean hands, why was he fleeing from the courts?Bilawal said he believed in transparency and accountability adding that accountability strengthens democracy. He said the prime minister will have to tell the source of the money sent to Panama.

“This jalsa is taking place at a time when our PM is unwell. I appeal to you all to pray for him. We have no personal differences with anyone nor do we resort to personal attacks or criticism. All our efforts are for the betterment of our country and the people. When we find someone working against the aspirations of the people, only then do we criticise. All that I am going to say today should not be taken personally.”

He said the PPP would never back off from its historic stance on the Kashmir dispute. He said the struggle for the liberation of Kashmir was the aim of the PPP. “We want a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue and only a strong Pakistan can support the Kashmir cause at every forum.”

He said talks with opponents could be held on equal terms.  “Kashmir elections are just round the corner; these elections are not ordinary, as they will decide the future of Kashmir. 

The whole world is keeping an eye on the Kashmir elections because these elections will prove as an important milestone to shape the future of Kashmiris,” he said. Bilawal said if the PML-N won these elections with its old tactics of drama and rigging, it would be as if Kashmiris had supported the PML-N’s anti-Kashmir and Modi-friendly policies.

“Will Kashmiris let this happen? Never!” He said Kashmir cause was not important to the PML-N.  He said it was President Asif Ali Zardari who had spent the last day of his presidency with the Hurriyat leaders at the Kashmir House.

”The PPP has supported talks at all forums but you can’t forget that you did not mention Kashmir in the UFFA declaration out of your criminal silence. It was an injustice to the Kashmir cause and a conspiracy against the Kashmiris.”

He recalled that ZA Bhutto had made Pakistan an atomic power. “He did not want to see Pakistan becoming Nepal, Bhuttan or Sikkim.”  He called for the resignation of Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz for the disastrous foreign policy. 

“The demand for the PM’s resignation is on one side but today I demand the resignation of the foreign minister as well. Today our state has drifted towards isolation. India is our adversary. We don’t have the same terms with Afghanistan like we had before. Iran is also not happy with us. Where is our self-autonomy?”

He said drone attacks were being carried out in the settled areas of Balochistan and CPEC projects were being made controversial.  “We failed to get F-16s from the US.  Our foreign policy is going towards destruction.”

A large number of party workers and supporters welcomed Bilawal upon his arrival here.  The activity comes amid electioneering in Azad Kashmir where polls are just weeks away for the legislative assembly.