Bilawal calls out Nawaz for having agenda of 'revenge, hatred'

As political parties engage in heated verbal exchanges as February 8 polls draw near, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Tuesday fired a broadside against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif accusing him of being driven by hatred and revenge behind for his fourth term as prime minister.

"I know them [PML-N], they have hatred, malice and revenge in their hearts [...] Mian Sahib's first and second term was no less than a dictatorship," Bilawal said while addressing a political gathering in Chiniot, Punjab.

His remarks come as political parties, including former allies such as the PML-N and the PPP, have been engaged in a verbal showdown in their bid to disseminate their respective narratives ahead of the February 8 polls.

Continuing his tirade against the PML-N supremo, the PPP chief warned that the former's revenge-centric approach would adversely affect the masses, the country and its economy.

"Mian Sahib is habitual of [taking] revenge. He would take revenge which no one can think of if he becomes the [country's] prime minister for the fourth time.

"Their politics is based on violence," he added while warning the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers — who according to him are thinking that their difficult days are behind them — of disastrous consequences if Nawaz secures a fourth term as the country's premier.

"The issue is that they [the Sharifs] only think about themselves. He [Nawaz] is [only] worried about how to sit on the prime minister's chair," the former foreign minister said while asking the masses to question the PML-N leadership about what they were doing in their past three tenures.

Continuing with his "new politics" agenda, Bilawal once again lamented the divisive and hateful politics — adopted by "old politicians" — while promising to abstain from such a trend if he is voted into power.

"Instead of [focusing on] personal revenge, [we] think of ways to solve issues faced by the people," the PPP leader said.

Elaborating on his party's election manifesto, Bilawal said that the PPP would increase the salaries by twofold.

"[We] will provide facilities for youth to get employment [...] and will build 3 million houses in Pakistan and give ownership rights to women," he said, adding that his government would also regularise slums.