ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the coming general election would be held on February 8, even if the United Nations (UN) passes a contradicting resolution for delaying it.
“The coming general elections will be held on February 8, 2024. You must cast vote on February 8th. I am saying this; the chief justice of the Supreme Court had said that it is set in stone that the election will be held on February 8. You tell me, if two to three senators say that elections should be delayed.
Is there any weight of the senators under law and constitution or the decision of the chief justice of the Supreme Court? It is the reason, we are saying that the election would be held on February 8,” Bilawal said while talking to media outside the apex court on Monday, after attending a hearing of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference in the Supreme Court accompanied by his aunt Sanam Bhutto and sister Aseefa Bhutto Zardari.
Bilawal said that all stakeholders including the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should accept their mistake and move forward for the development of the country. “We want to improve the politics, economy, and society and we have to work together. All the stakeholders should themselves identify their mistakes and correct them,” he said.
He said all political parties should learn from history so that the future of the coming generations is better.
He said there was a margin of improvement with regard to level playing field in every successive election. “The PPP believes in the people and we are looking towards them,” he said.
Bilawal said, “We hope that the PPP will get justice. We think that it is an opportunity to correct history. Its legal precedent was never mentioned in any case. The way this verdict was reached at the behest of a dictator is being repeated again and again. We also have the opportunity to correct our future course and ensure that such doors are closed forever. We hope that that we will get justice and Justice Qazi Faez Isa and his brother judges will give a decision according to the law.”
Answering a question, he said that we desired that the case should have been heard regularly instead of being adjourned till after the elections. We hope that the case will be decided after the elections.”
The PPP has recently won the local bodies elections in Karachi and Hyderabad. He said when the PTI was in power, the PPP defeated Imran Khan and the PTI from Multan and Karachi in by-elections. “We also defeated PML-N in the by-election in Karachi.
This will be the very first time when the PPP will head not only the local government in Karachi but also the provincial government along with the federal government.
Hence, we will be able to perform more efficiently in Karachi. We are contesting against every party and are the only party which has presented a 10-point economic agenda which can deal with poverty, inflation, and unemployment.”
Replying to another question, Bilawal said the “cricket bat” was never an election symbol and it was conjured to facilitate Imran Khan and give him undue favour in the elections.
He said it was given to the PTI because the Pakistani people take an interest in cricket. “It is a fact that our symbol ‘sword’ was snatched and since then we are contesting on the ‘arrow’ as our election symbol,” he said.
Answering another question, the PPP chairman said the imprisonment of Imran Khan had nothing to do with the elections. “If he is innocent, he should be released and if he has done something wrong then he should be in prison,” he said.
“When Imran Khan used to initiate false and concocted cases against us, he used to say that the institutions are free and we should approach them. What Imran Khan did in Pakistani politics is getting back to him. We should create an environment where politicians can do politics. Imran Khan will have to repent, and then we will be able to create a better environment,” he said.
Answering another question of a journalist, Bilawal said “we do not think that our judicial system is so transparent that a death sentence can be given to anyone.” He said the PPP held a principled and ideological stance against death sentence. “Khan used to say that if 200 people are hanged publicly, then the system will be corrected. Khan has to bring a change in his own views about this.
The impression that what is being done to a particular political party now has not happened before is wrong. The situation earlier was worse than it is now. Imran Khan used to label any effort of reconciliation a “mukmuka” among the political parties,” he said.
“Khan wants to be the sole person playing in the field and does not wish to let others play. He does not want democracy and wishes to create a fascist state,” he alleged.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024