Father stopped me from quitting foreign ministry: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD/MULTAN: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said he wanted to quit the cabinet of PDM government. In the last days, he sought the party’s permission to sit on the opposition benches but his father Asif Ali Zardari stopped him, saying they had given their commitment.

In an interview with a private TV channel on Saturday, Bilawal said in reply to a question: “I should have left the foreign ministry as some decisions were taken which were not in accordance with my ideology. I wanted to leave the ministry and sit with the opposition. I told my party and former president Asif Ali Zardari that I couldn’t go on like this.”

Bilawal challenged PMLN candidates for a debate on television. He said Asif Ali Zardari and PPP CEC had nominated him for the slot of prime minister. He said he worked with the PMLN for 18 months and knew their intent.

In response to another question, the PPP chairman said political parties should come with rules and “when politicians work within their ambit, we will ask the institutions to also work within their limit”. He said the establishment had taken the stance that it would remain neutral and wouldn’t interfere in politics as it harmed the country and politics.

He said the Pakistan Peoples Party implemented the Charter of Democracy despite not having a two-thirds majority during its government, but those having a two-thirds majority tore that charter. “Pakistan is currently going through a storm of crises and to face these crises, we need a serious and responsible government engaged in 24-hour service to resolve the problems of people.”

To another question on not holding Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections after the dissolution of assemblies, Bilawal said he had a meeting with then prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and asked him to conduct elections in 90 days and bring back Nawaz Sharif.

Meanwhile, addressing an election meeting in Kot Addu on Saturday, Bilawal said the PPP was the only political party that aimed at setting the country on the right track. He appealed to people to vote for PPP candidates. The threat of terrorism is increasing. There are international conspiracies against Pakistan. There is no reason why Pakistan cannot get out of economic problems.

“Tell your friends not to waste your vote this time. If the competition is between two parties, will you vote for the party which took the post of prime minister four times?”