The Pakistan Peoples Party was trying to resolve the issues through mutual diplomacy and dialogue in order to save the country from “massive damage”, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Sunday.
“Hopefully, when we will be successful in this effort then I will be in front of you for campaigning for simultaneous elections in all provinces,” the scion of the Bhutto dynasty said at a party gathering in Naudero on Sunday, the second day of Eid. “We will soon be ready for the 2023 election campaign. You all will enjoy this 2023 general elections.”
Bilawal’s warning was apparently related to the fears of “martial law” and any emergency in the country–a concern that he showed earlier this month over the constitutional crisis.
Many experts believe that Pakistan’s political crisis turned into a judicial crisis after the apparent divisions appeared in the court over suo motu of election delay. They have stressed the need for dialogue to resolve the issues as it was having a negative impact on the economy.
With the same agenda, a three-member PPP delegation has started meeting its coalition partners in the government. The Sindh-ruling party has maintained that they would reach out to other parties after having a consensus on dialogue among allies.
In his address to party supporters, Bilawal said that in the current political crisis, there was a standoff between Parliament and Supreme Court. He was of the view that this would distract attention from the issues of people.
It would have been better if politicians have shun their differences and fully focused on economic problems, Bilawal said and warned that the economic situation of a common person would become worst if it persists.
He shared that the PPP was trying for a long to convince its allies to have a dialogue with their archrivals if needed in order to have a direction for leading the country. Bilawal mentioned that politicians fight in elections to have a mandate for the next five years.
“We think that if we decide to have simultaneous elections and this fight should be limited to that date so that we can concentrate on the issues of people. It will be beneficial for the country,” Bilawal said, adding that the people were still reeling from the impact of super floods of last year.
He called for giving attention to the flood-affected people and the economic crisis.
“Our efforts are under way. But similarly, conspirators are also making efforts and they are only trying to have elections only in Punjab. This will have an impact on the federation and other provinces. The thinking of these particular people will weigh on the the politics of federation and other provinces. And, if this conspiracy succeeds, then they would enforce a political one-unit,” Bilawal said.
The PPP chief warned the “conspirators”, who according to him are stressing on snap Punjab elections, to come to their senses and chalk out a solution which is beneficial to Parliament, the judiciary and the federation.
“This should not happen that due to this fight not just Pakistan’s democracy, economy but the federation also suffers,” he said and called for dialogue to resolve issues.
PPP leader Nisar Khuhro has announced that the party would protest across Sindh on April 25 for having simultaneous elections in the country.
“Sindh will only accept one-day polls, not piecemeal elections,” he said.
“The provincial elections [in Punjab and KP] are planned to influence the election results of the national and other two provincial assemblies [Sindh and Balochistan],” the PPP leader said. “Do not become a tool in Imran Khan’s conspiratorial ambitions.”
He added that it was only the prerogative of the ECP to decide the date for elections. “Interfering with the powers of the Election Commission would be an attempt to rig the elections,” Khuhro said.
