LAHORE: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of any meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and said he (Nawaz) had also remained part of every conspiracy against democracy in the 35 years of his political journey.
The so-called advocates of democracy should also implement the democratic rule in Punjab, he remarked. He warned that his party could demand fresh census after the general elections if reservations were not addressed.
Talking to the media during his visit to the residence of renowned columnist Munnu Bhai, Bilawal said the PPP had reservations about the census, adding that the PML-N had made the process controversial as every citizen from Karachi to Fata was opposing that.
He said they swallowed a bitter pill by accepting the census as the PPP didn’t want to create any constitutional crisis and had been assured by the PML-N that the objections would be addressed.
Talking about PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Bilawal remarked, “Khan Uncle only has sit-ins, not government, in his fate.” He said the PPP set a precedent of power transfer to civilian government whereas the PML-N set-up had been unable to even meet the quorum in assemblies.
Replying to a question, Bilawal said there was nothing wrong in meeting with Zulfiqar Khosa, adding that the party workers were his strength. He claimed that NAB's accountability process was different for PPP and PML-N as the names of two of his party’s prime ministers remained on the Exit Control List. There was also a difference in dealing with Capt (retd) Safdar and Sharjeel Memon, Bilawal said, adding that the same law should be applied to both the PPP and PML-N.
To another query, the PPP chairman said he had great regard for JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman but he (Fazl) had gone quite far in support of Nawaz. The Maulana should defend his own party rather than Nawaz, Bilawal remarked.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed the hope that general elections would be held on time and no other option was acceptable to them. Meanwhile, the PPP chairman, talking to a delegation of Majlis Wahdate Muslimeen (MWM), condemned the alleged kidnapping of its leader Nasir Shirazi and assured complete cooperation in this regard. He demanded immediate recovery of Shirazi.
“Such ‘kidnappings’ should not take place as no one knows the whereabouts of the missing party leader,” he said, adding, “There should be rule of law in Punjab too." Separately, Bilawal said he would soon visit colleges and universities of Punjab and take the students into confidence by briefing them on the party manifesto.
During a meeting with Barrister Aamir Hassan, he said the PPP wanted to bring younger generation as a party vanguard, claiming that Punjab was a PPP hub. During the day, Bilawal also visited the residence of Dilawar Butt, the party worker from the Walled City, to inquire after his health. Later, the PPP leader left for Karachi after completing his one week visit to the city.