Bilawal rejects ‘Naya Pakistan’ sans freedom of speech

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said “any ‘Naya Pakistan’ where there is no freedom of speech” would not be accepted, as he maintained the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has launched a sustained attack on the media after assuming power, Geo News reported.

Addressing a news conference at the Lahore Press Club on Monday, Bilawal said the rise in censorship not only affected an average political worker, but also the journalist fraternity. “This [censorship] is not only for journalists — it is also for cameramen, producers, media house owners … This suppression is also against bloggers, as well as those youngsters who post on Twitter,” he added. “We will not accept any ‘Naya Pakistan’ where there is no freedom of speech.”

The PPP chairman said the “politics of vendettas” was seemingly reaching their heights in the country. “Nobody is accepting that Nawaz Sharif went to jail — or abroad — due to corruption. Our leaders are in jail due to political vendetta.” He said even the late brother of a former PPP minister “was not spared”, referring to former opposition leader Khurshid Shah.

Bilawal criticised the PTI government for the “economic crisis” and said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the country’s economy “cannot function” simultaneously. “Even after traders [said] Imran Khan also admitted that the NAB and the economy could not run together — democratic forces are disunited for some reason,” he added. Bilawal said in an age of political victimisation, working towards democracy is in everyone’s best interests.