Presenting one-year budget pre-poll rigging: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said the outgoing government of the PML-N had no right to present the budget for the whole year as it was usurping the democratic right of the upcoming government after the general elections. He said that presenting the budget for the whole year was tantamount to pre-poll rigging.

“The new budget is the right and responsibility of the new government after the election,” he said adding that three chief ministers had boycotted the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) and the PPP would oppose the presentation of the budget for the whole fiscal year. He was addressing a press conference here at the residence of the PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari on Wednesday along with former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and PPP Punjab Acting Secretary General Chaudhry Manzoor.

The PPP chairman said even Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was missing from the NEC meeting. “The government cannot present the new scheme in the budget as it was the right of next government,” he said.

He said the Sindh government in its budget would give the funds for ongoing development schemes. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he did not want to go either with the PML-N or PTI as Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan shared the same format of politics and same political philosophy as he had to contest the elections against both of them. “There is no justification to fight the political leftover of Zia and to stand with Musharraf’s remnants,” he said.

He said the PPP wanted to do an issue-based politics, neither of politics of allegations nor ‘politics of abusing’. To a question about the PML-N sanctity of the vote slogan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the new slogan of the ruling PML-N of “respect the vote’ is meaningless as those who talk about the sanctity of vote have no interest and philosophy in democracy. “The PML-N is raising a slogan of the sanctity of vote but it is an empty philosophy of democracy,” he said.

To another question about those who left the party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said those who left the PPP never got respect which they received in the PPP. “I never expected turncoat from the young politicians,” he said adding that the doors of the party had shut forever on those who had left the party.

He said the case of those who are annoyed with the party is different as the PPP is a family and in family there are differences on issues and these would be settled. In reply to a question, the PPP chairman said that a confrontation with the judiciary is not in wider interest of the country. “Nawaz Sharif should end the confrontation with the institutions,” he said.

Asked about Nawaz Sharif's press conference in which he asked from the chief justice to tell who nominated him for the law secretary in the past, Bilawal Bhutto said the PML-N was doing dirty politics. “They are defaming the gentleman,” he said adding that the PML-N government has no interest in democracy and state institutions.

Bilawal Bhutto said he never did politics to portray himself but he did politics on issues. “The formation of the parliamentary national security committee and appointment of the foreign minister were made possible due to my and PPP's struggle,” he said.

The PPP chairman said he was ready to struggle and fight against the Pharaoh. To yet another question with regard to Nawaz Sharif's regrets of not amending the NAB laws during his tenure and whether the PPP would agree to amend the NAB laws, the PPP chairman said it was not the right time to amend the NAB laws when little time is left in the elections but this issue would be taken up in the new parliament after the general elections. “The PPP will review the NAB laws and will even amend them to give the bureau more strength."