Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari urges Nawaz Sharif to fight polls on “ideology”, not “with the help of administration”

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 3 (ANI): Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari (PPP) urged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to contest elections based “on an ideology” and not with “the help of administration.”

Addressing a press conference in Quetta on Saturday, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, “Mian Sahib, respect the vote, don’t disrespect the vote.” He made the statement when asked a question about PML-N supremo.

He said some people have a “misconception that political winds are in their favour.” He added that Raiwind is “attempting unsuccessfully to change the direction of the winds in its favour”.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, “We [PPP] are trying to be the ladlas of the public. We believe people change the direction of winds. Everyone has to accept people’s mandate when they make a decision.”

He said that PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were engaging in “politics of hate” and called for talks with Chaman protesters. He said PTI and PML-N were out for the politics of revenge. PPP chairman stressed that election campaigns that were carried out in 2018 will not be in upcoming polls.

In the press conference, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, “If God forbid either PML-N or PTI comes to power after the February 8 general elections, they will destroy the country and people through their politics of revenge.”

He called for bringing an ending to the politics of hatred and revenge. He said, “We should move towards reconciliation, and decisions should be made with consensus.”

He noted, “Now, it is impossible to do the same as in the 2018 elections when Pakistan was told this is [Imran] Khan. He is your saviour. You have to support him [because] all the rest [parties] are rubbish.”

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called on Afghanistan to “behave like a state, instead of a group” and interact with the world to improve its affairs. He said, “Afghanistan must demonstrate that the enemy of Pakistan is undoubtedly the enemy of Afghanistan.”

Asked about the forced expulsion of Afghan refugees, the PPP chairman called it a complex matter and emphasised that Pakistan’s caretaker government “should have consulted all relevant stakeholders” on the matter.

He also spoke about the situation in Chaman where residents have opposed the new visa policy on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He stated that the government should speak to protesters and find a solution to the problem and said that the issue cannot be resolved by giving them media coverage.