Only PPP stresses prompt polls: Bilawal

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Monday the PPP is the only political party in the country that is demanding general elections immediately and it will continue to do so till the announcement of the poll date by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Addressing a meeting with local government representatives of his party in Sindh at Bilawal House on Monday, the PPP chairman said that a political leader found polls unsuitable in January due to harsh winter while others cited the issues of delimitation and law and order. “In such a situation, PPP is the only party, which wants elections immediately,” he added.

Bilawal said people should recognise the political leaders who have been running away from the general elections, adding his party knows the politics of street agitation for getting its rights.

He hinted to approach courts if the issues faced by his party were not resolved. He lamented the lack of the spirit to hold dialogue in the political arena of the country. Bilawal told the local bodies representatives that his party had confidence in the incumbent chief election commissioner (CEC) and caretaker chief minister Sindh.

He said that his party would raise the issue of freezing development funds in Sindh before the Sindh’s interim government and the CEC. “If any need arises we would also move the court to get justice done in this case,” he said.

Bilawal said that he would himself be part of any agitation drive to protest against halting of development funds before the elections. He said the elected local government representatives of the PPP would send letters and meet the CEC and interim Sindh CM to raise the issue of undue ban on utilising the development funds in the province. He mentioned that both the CEC and interim Sindh CM enjoyed a good reputation as his party hoped that both of them would perform their duties in a just manner.

Bilawal said that he would hold accountable the people included in the interim government in the country as no one in the present caretaker set-up should remain under the impression that he could enjoy authority without any accountability.

He said the ECP shouldn’t halt the development works for which expenditures had been included in the duly sanctioned government budgets. He said any undue restriction by the ECP on the development works would affect the entire country as the national economy becomes the ultimate beneficiary of such schemes that create job opportunities for the people.

The PPP chairman mentioned that the elected local government representatives had often complained about a lack of financial resources. He said that he wouldn’t tolerate corrupt practices by the elected representatives of the people. He urged the elected local government representatives to discharge their responsibilities concerning the welfare of the flood victims in the province.

Bilawal said that people in the country desperately needed the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing and shelter. He asked the workers of his party to do hard work for victory in the upcoming elections.