PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has advised the allied parties to not run away from elections, saying that such an approach would be good for them.

“I have been telling this to my coalition partners for over the past 18 months that you will die if you will fear [daro gay tou maro gay],” he said at his party gathering in Hyderabad.

Elections are due in Pakistan this year, but the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to complete the delimitation of constituencies by November 30 has increased the likelihood of the election delay.

Many experts have blamed the previous government for delaying the elections by notifying the digital census.

But Bilawal’s statement seemed to be a criticism of the PPP’s allies for prioritising delimitation over holding elections within the constitutionally mandated 90-day period after the dissolution of assemblies.

“It is not part of PPP’s training to run away and be afraid. PPP is ready for a contest against the PTI,” Bilawal said and added that his party which has ruled the country three times would defeat the Imran Khan-led party without the support of a caretaker setup or any police.

Bilawal, whose party was part of the previous government, lamented that some of their allies were afraid of elections and kept running away from the by-election, and local government polls and wanted to do the same in the general elections.

“My message to those who do politics of hatred and division in this country is that the PPP is not afraid of anyone. We are coming and we are ready for the competition. Pakistan will fight the enemy party with the power of the people.”

In his speech, Bilawal said that it was said in politics that “you will die if you fear [aap darte ho tou aap martey ho]” and if to this day the PPP was politically alive was because its brave workers and leaders. “We never receded. We were ready for elections. We are accustomed to lifting bodies, we neither run away from elections in the past nor now we are now.”

The PPP chairman shared that he even begged the MQM-P to not boycott the local government elections as it would allow other parties to take their space. He went on to add that such a gap was filled by the PTI.

“Just as we wiped out PTI from Hyderabad, we will wipe out it from the entire country,” he vowed and added that it is his message to PTI that the supporters of PPP were coming.