Instead of Fighting Everyone, the Government Should Engage All Stakeholders in Dialogue, Advises Bilawal Bhutto Zardari; Vows to Advocate for Ending Governor’s Rule If Centre and PTI Reach Counter-Terrorism Accord
LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called upon the federal government to avoid confrontation and instead to shift its focus to comprehensive dialogue with all political stakeholders including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the stability of the country.
During a stone laying ceremony for a new hospital in Larkana, Bilawal had stated that a consensus was reached on the National Action Plan 3 (NAP-3) to deal with the menace of terrorism effectively, but the Chief Minister of K-PK was responsible for that failure as he had refused to sign the plan.Bilawal said that a consensus was achieved on the National Action Plan 3 (NAP-3) for effective counter-terrorism operations, but the stone laying ceremony for a new hospital in Larkana was stalled due to the Chief Minister of K-PK’s failure to approve the agreement, adding that the Prime Minister and PPP could not be held responsible for it.
The key points of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s speech in Larkana were:
Advocating Political Engagement: Bilawal said that rather than feudating with all—including PTI and Maulana Fazlur Rehman—government should channelize its energies towards public welfare. He added that if the federal government and PTI are able to reach an agreement on counter-terrorism he will formally seek the lifting of Governor’s Rule in the province.
Responding to the urgent need for healthcare in Larkana, the PPP chairman highlighted the initiatives taken by the government of Balochistan to address this issue by introducing a new state-of-the-art hospital to address the resource gaps in the area. He said the Sindh government is allocating a grant of Rs 45 billion to universities and work has been initiated to address water supply, drainage and sewerage issues in the area.
Global Economy and Political Co-ordination: Bilawal said that people of Washington to Larkana are paying the price of all wars and conflicts in the world and the global economic turmoil. He also commended the positive meeting he held with the Prime Minister recently, where he observed there was a growing inter-party coordination and soon cabinet meetings will be held province-wise.
Electoral Reforms and Parliamentary Role: Bilawal urged opposition parties to attend parliamentary electoral reforms committee and judicial committees, saying parliament cannot be considered weak because of the shortcomings of governments as the opposition boycots key parliamentary forums.
Stance on Terrorism and KP Leadership: Bilawal also pointed out that Pakistan is bearing the brunt of the past decision to release convicted terrorists by the PTI government, calling terrorism a “red line” for the PPP. He argued that the federal government had opened doors for the talks at the behest of the PPP but the talks faced a slowdown due to the lack of dialogue from the KP leadership on security roles.