A day after his party became the first major contender for the upcoming elections to announce its manifesto, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Friday that he was not interested to go into an alliance with either Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In an interview with a private TV channel, he said, “PML-N deceives (others) while PTI keeps taking U-turns. PML-N has not treated PPP well.”
Bilawal said his party would work with those who help it implement its manifesto. In the interview, the PPP chairman singled out PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and PTI chairperson Imran Khan as his ideological opponents. He claimed that the PPP’s performance in the upcoming election would be better than 2013.
Bilawal recalled the death of his mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and said, “the country’s foundation was shaken [when Bhutto was assasinated], but we worked for the restoration of democracy and took down the dictator.”
Stressing that it was his first election, the PPP leader said he had arrived in the electoral race with his own manifesto. Asked if he would become the next prime minister, Bilawal said the matter would be considered once the PPP secures majority in the next Parliament. “The party will decide if I will become the PM or my father,” he said.
On Thursday, Bilawal had launched the party’s manifesto for the upcoming election. Addressing the event, Bilawal said that the manifesto contained provisions to further strengthen democracy in the country. “We will ensure harmony in the relationship between the citizens and the state,” he said, adding that his party would withdraw all actions taken by the PML-N in Gilgit Baltistan.
Published in Daily Times, June 30th 2018.
