Bilawal Bhutto urges PTI to shun violence, take political route

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday told Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to shun violence and adopt a political route, stating that Imran Khan-led party needs to decide whether they want to become a “political party or an anti-state party”.

Terming May 9 — the day when violence erupted during which military installations were also attacked following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's arrest from the Islamabad High Court — as a "Black Day" in the history of Pakistan, Bilawal said reiterated the matters need to be resolved in a political manner.

Bilawal, while addressing a press conference flanked by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, said that in the history of Pakistan several days are marked as the "Black Days" and now May 9 has been added to the list.

Violent protests erupted in Pakistan on Tuesday with dozens injured across several cities and demonstrators attacking military buildings after Khan was arrested.

Tensions remained high with paramilitary troops and police on the streets in major cities even today; meanwhile, mobile data services remained suspended and schools and offices were closed in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Islamabad police said earlier today that troops have reached the capital city.

Protesters stormed military buildings, ransacked the residence of a top army general in Lahore, and set ablaze state buildings and assets in other places since Khan's arrest in Al-Qadir Trust case.

Slamming the PTI for their reaction to Khan's arrest, the foreign minister said he had been arrested under the law and constitution due to “serious charges"

In response to a question on whether he considered banning the PTI, the foreign minister responded: “A decision cannot be taken on television based on the video evidence that has come out so far.”

He said that he was not in favour of banning the PTI for attacking state facilities, adding that he would be the last person to endorse such a move.

The Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) chairman stated: “I am not in favour of banning anyone. We must adopt a completely constitutional and legal procedures to ban PTI.”

He, however, added that the idea of declaring PTI a proscribed outfit existed as a last resort. Moreover, Bilawal called for PTI workers to end their violent protests, adding that the party had done “what it had to do”.

"PTI should not cause more harm,” he said, adding that the party leadership should declare an end to violent protests and face the cases against them.

Bilawal also expressed a desire to have an outcome that would create political stability in the country.

'PPP never celebrates arrests of political leaders'

“We [PPP] never celebrates when a political leader is arrested because we believe that when political leaders are arrested it is the loss of the politics at large,” he said, reiterating that in such scenarios the PPP has never celebrated nor distributed sweets.

Bilawal maintained that the PPP has always been against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — an autonomous anti-graft agency — and has always believed that the institution should be shut down; however, the PTI has always strongly supported the bureau.

“Khan sb initiated a campaign to save NAB; when we demanded amendments he said that we are seeking NRO and didn’t agree on the proposed amendments,” he said, adding that now when the new laws were introduced it is the PTI chief who has become its beneficiary.

However, Bilawal said, accountability takes place all over the world. "We will also take accountability of the NAB to see how successful the institution has been,” he added.

He accused Khan of misusing his position as the prime minister and said: “Imran Khan has always said that the very name of his party is based on justice and that everyone should be held accountable.”

Face the music

Drawing parallels between the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — which has been outlawed as a militant outfit — and the PTI, Bilawal said that former had attacked Jinnah House in Balochistan, the latter had turned its guns towards Jinnah House in Lahore.

“I do not remember that any party has made such attacks after a two-week remand,” he said, adding “our leaders were hanged and we did not attack the GHQ. We did not attack Core Commander’s house”.

Harking back to the protests that erupted following the murder of Benazir Bhutto, the foreign minister said: “After the martyrdom of Bibi, the whole country erupted with anger. However, we gave a political response, and raised the slogan of Pakistan Khappe.”

“We banned violence and said that democracy is the best revenge,” he recalled.

Terming PTI workers and leaders, “political terrorists”, he said that the those who were involved in crimes would have to answer.

'PTI has crossed every red line'

Bilawal asserted that the PTI had decided that it would not give a political response to Khan’s arrest and instead resort to attacking the state with “stone, batons and guns.”

Furthermore, he said: “One attack on GHQ was done by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and another by PTI.”

The PPP chairman claimed that this is not the first time that PTI has violated the constitution, recalling that Khan had violated the constitution in April — when the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP were dissolved at his behest — and no action was takem against him.

He then brought up the agitation that gripped Lahore when the police went to arrest Khan at his residence.

“When the police arrived to execute the arrest warrant against Khan, a lot happened," he said, adding that Khan thought that the law is for everyone except the PTI.”

However, the PTI has crossed every red line, Bilawal said, adding that it was the responsibility of the state and institutions to enforce the law and the Constitution.

“The misunderstanding arose because they thought anyone could cross the red line,” Bilawal said.

'What was the fault of People's Bus Service?'

The foreign minister also critiqued the protestors and said “Akbar S. Babar was a member of the PTI. It was he who brought up the charge sheet of foreign funding.

"What was the fault of People's Bus Service? KMC's water tanker did what damage to the captain?”

He advised all political parties, including PTI, to avoid “anti-state people”.

“The events of the past day have made our efforts to lower the political temperature difficult,” Bilawal said, adding that Khan was neither interested in defending democracy nor democracy itself.

“My message to PTI is that if democracy continues, you can survive,” he said, “all problems are solved by democracy.”

He further reiterated that all political stakeholders should work within the sphere of democracy.

'Was hopeful about negotiations'

Refering to the negotiations held between the government and the PTI on the directions of the Supreme Court, the PPP leader said that previously he had been “quite hopeful” that the dialogue between the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and PTI would be successful.

“I was hopeful that we would find a political solution as we still want the elections to be held on the same date across the country,” he said. However, Bilawal added that things didn't go as they were planned.