Govt allies should quit coalition voluntarily: Bilawal

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said all government allies should “voluntarily announce their separation from the coalition if they wish to avoid committing treason” against the country.

Addressing a press conference today, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Pakistan was in worse condition as the ruling party failed to deliver. He criticized the PTI-led government and said that the incompetent rulers have ruined the lives of masses.

Bilawal Bhutto said that the incumbent government has nothing done for the country; instead of giving employment, they have increased the burden of inflation on masses.

He further said that due to the flawed policies of PTI-led government the country’s lower class was suffering, adding that the government was creating problems for the labour class. The PPP Chairman said, “The economic policies of ruling PTI and PPP are completely different.

He said “Akhtar Mengal has played a positive role. Now there is no valid reason for him to stay with this government.

Bilawal’s words come three days after Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Akhtar Mengal announced that his party was breaking its alliance with the ruling coalition.

Following the announcement, government representatives, defence minister Pervez Khattak, have been tasked with placating Mengal and bringing him back into the fold.

Meanwhile, Bilawal, in today’s media briefing, said that PM Imran Khan’s opposition to the 18th constitutional amendment and the National Finance Commission award to the provinces is now “plain for all to see”.

“He is even against the 1973 Constitution,” the PPP chairman claimed, censuring the government for “speaking against the 18th Amendment and NFC award while on a visit to Sindh”. He said Imran Khan “should have at least stopped to think of where he is” before speaking out against the province.

Bilawal said it was highly regrettable that the premier likened Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to a “dictator”. He also cautioned that the entire country could suffer due to the flawed policies of the federal government.

He said that “for humanity’s sake” the premier should not have attacked the province at a time when it is important for all stakeholders to unite in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

Bilawal said that the government would be hard-pressed to find even one hospital at par with the quality of the National Insititute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).

“If the government is able to point out even one that comes up to its standards, the province will surrender control of all three hospitals sought by the government – the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the National Institute of Child Health (NICH)” he added.

Bilawal Bhutto also criticized PM Imran over the lack of measures to tackle the COVID-19 situation. He said, “Imran Khan should start working as a prime minister. He should play his role in uniting provinces in this crisis.”

The PPP chairman said that a national consensus was necessary to win the fight against the coronavirus. “The whole state should be on the same page against the coronavirus,” he added.