MALAKAND, July 15: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Sunday that his party should not be pushed against the wall and assured that the general election will be held on time.
He was addressing a press conference in Malakand, from where he is contesting the July 25 general election.
Bilawal said despite cancelling his public gathering here in light of the Mastung blast, he has come to Malakand to meet the people.
The PPP leader said he will soon go to Quetta to express solidarity with families of the Mastung blast victims.
He asserted that terrorists do not want elections to take place. Later, when asked to respond to the possibility of postponement of elections, Bilawal said if elections can take place in Iraq and Afghanistan, then they can be held in Pakistan too.
“Free and fair elections are our right,” he said when talking about difficulties his party is facing while campaigning across the country. He alleged that local administrations are treating PPP differently than other political parties.
Bilawal vowed to take the matter to the Election Commission of Pakistan and stated further that all state institutions should work within their framework.
He stated that a controversial Parliament will be unable to solve people’s problems, adding that “we have to focus on basic issues like gas and water”. Quoting his mother, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal said a weak democracy is still better than a dictatorship.
Referring to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s use of derogatory terms for supporters of other political parties, Bilawal termed it “outrageous”, saying a prime ministerial candidate should aim to be a representative of the entire nation and not just his party supporters.
Answering a question regarding the security situation of the country, he lamented that the National Action Plan has not been implemented completely.
In response to another question, the NA-8 contestant vowed to raise the issues of the people of Malakand at the national level.
With regards to chances of the PPP forming a coalition government, the PPP chief said it is open to the option provided its manifesto is adhered to. -Agencies
