PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that he was ‘happy’ to hear slogans chanted in favour of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan.

“Slogans were hurled here and in the back slogans were chanted in favour of the PTI founder,” he said while addressing the bar council in Lahore. “I am happy to hear slogans were chanted.”

Khan is behind bars since August and is being tried for leaking classified documents, allegations he says have been made to stop him contesting February 8 general elections.

The Khan-led party has claimed that they were not even given “field” to contest elections, as they call for level playing field for all political parties.

Bilawal, who in recent has called for giving news faces a chance, said that there was polarisation in Pakistan’s politics. He quoted Khan in his speech by saying that, the former prime minister refused to talk to his political rivals and made allegations against them.

He was of the view that the country cannot run by criticising people for their political affiliations. “I hope that every one of us consider each other a patriotic Pakistani.”

He said that there could be political differences with any leader and added that he respected political workers. “I respect every political worker whether they are from PPP, PML-N, or PTI.”

According to Bilawal, sending each other behind bars was defeat of the Constitution. He accused the PTI founder of starting the politics of hate and division.

“Political difference should not be converted to enmity,” he said.

He also spoke about the presidential reference seeking the Supreme Court’s opinion on the 1979 controversial death sentence awarded to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It was fixed for hearing last week.