Lollipop of GB interim province just for winning polls: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has demanded the chief election commissioner (CEC) Gilgit-Baltistan to reveal his meeting record with government functionaries in Islamabad.

“The responsibility of the election commissioner is to hold free and fair elections in GB, but he is holding meetings in Islamabad and addressing press conference against him despite the fact that he does not hold any public office and has the right to run the election campaign of his party,” Bilawal said while addressing corner meetings of the PPP at Pakwara in Astore and Jaglot in connection with the election campaign for GB.

Former Senate chairman and PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari and former governor GB and president PPP Central Punjab Qamar Zaman Kaira were also present on the occasion.

Bilawal alleged that the election commissioner of GB is facilitating the prime minister and federal ministers in violating elections laws. He told people that the election commissioner is not protecting the right of the people to participate in free and fair elections.

Bilawal also criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for announcing status of interim province for GB because it was former president Asif Ali Zardari who had delivered interim province, governor and the chief minister back in 2009 to the people of GB. He said Imran Khan is totally ignorant of the situation in GB. He said the lollipop of interim province is just a slogan for winning elections.

“Imran Khan said that he is not announcing any package for GB due to elections, but people are asking him why he did not announce package during last two years of his government,” he said.

He said the visits of prime minister and federal ministers are violation of election laws. “What projects Imran Khan announced for GB in the last two years,” he questioned.

He alleged that the government ministers are coming in the region after two years only for distributing money to the people in return of their votes. Bilawal said that only the PPP delivers for the people from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari. “Imran Khan wants to snatch the subsidy given by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on food items, petrol and clothes, but the PPP will not allow this to happen,” he said.

He said the PPP will not only deliver a full-fledged status of a province to GB, but also the right to rule and the rights of property and employment. He strongly condemned the killing of farmers’ leader from Vehari Malik Ashfaq Langrial, who succumbed to injuries sustained due to torture and baton charge by Punjab police.