Bilawal says Ghotki by-poll victory sends message to ‘puppet’ regime

KARACHI: Chairman of Pakistan People's Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said the victory of PPP's candidate in the Ghotki by-election has sent a message to the “puppet regime” of the country that it is bound to lose if it compromises on the rights of people and continues to act on the signals of someone's else.

The PPP chairman stated this on Wednesday while addressing a press conference here at the media cell of Pakistan Peoples Party. He was accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani. PPP Central Information Secretary Nafisa Shah. He said the the NA’s seat of Ghotki was earlier held by the “selected government”. The PPP chairman expressed gratitude to people of Ghotki for voting in the favour of the PPP's candidate enabling him to win the by-election. Bilawal also expressed gratitude to the entire Opposition for the victory and in particular to Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Fazl) for lending cooperation.

Bilawal said the victory is just a trailer for the government and the real event would be the upcoming election for the new chairman of Senate. He said the government in the centre lacks the required numerical strength to win the upcoming election to elect the new chairman of Senate. “It is very clear to me that Hasil Bizenjo will become the new Chairman of Senate,” he said. He claimed the opposition Senators are being offered bribes by an affluent personality associated with the government. He advised the Opposition senators to accept the money from the government but must vote in the favour of the Opposition’s candidate for the chairman.

The PPP chairman censured the move to censor the live TV coverage of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz's press conference conducted earlier in the day. He said Maryam Nawaz wanted to speak about the issues related to health of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He demanded that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should get all the due facilities for his health being his fundamental right. He wondered if the media was allowed to run the interviews of the captured Indian spy Kulbhushan Jhadhav and the captured Indian fighter pilot, why the media is not being allowed to broadcast the TV interview of former president Asif Ali Zardari who had raised the slogan of “Pakistan Khappay”. The PPP Chairman said the 'selected' government lacks a long-term vision and they were willing to accept conditions imposed by the outside world. He said the government should not have made huge claims of resolving the issue of Afghanistan. He cautioned Pakistan against making commitments to the United States and the NATO on Afghanistan beyond what Islamabad could deliver. He said they would however, support any move being made for the peaceful resolution of the Afghanistan problem.

Expressing remorse over Prime Minister Imran Khan's address to the expatriate Pakistani community in the United States where he continuously berated the opposition instead of attacking the enemies of Pakistan. He said it would have been most suitable for Imran Khan if he had gone to the United States as the prime minister of the country. Bilawal said PM Imran Khan should have better consulted the Opposition before his visit like the previous governments consulted Opposition before such foreign visits.