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Tag: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

  • Slugfest in parliament as Bilawal says ‘Imran owes his career to an ISI chief’

    Slugfest in parliament as Bilawal says ‘Imran owes his career to an ISI chief’

    The session of the Lower House was marred by verbal duels as lawmakers belonging to both the treasury and opposition benches trained guns at each other where they were supposed to debate rising inflation — especially the skyrocketing prices of food items amid the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s apparent inability to control the same.

    According to The Express Tribune, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif on Tuesday led the opposition’s onslaught against the government in the National Assembly, but it was Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who stole the spotlight with his remarks against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, drawing a strong reaction from the treasury benches.

    Calling the premier “incompetent, incapable and selected”, Bilawal asked him to step down in the country’s best interest. “People are suffering due to inflation and unemployment. This government has sunk a fledgeling economy it had inherited from its predecessors… unemployment and poverty are at their highest level,” he said.

    Presenting economic statistics, Bilawal said that inflation during the past 18 months had surpassed the figure recorded in the past 10 years, and went on to claim that the prices of food items had increased by 78 per cent.

    “On top of this, the government has increased gas and power tariffs, and fuel prices,” he said. “We cannot sit idle when the people are suffering,” added Bilawal, who has already announced plans to launch a movement to oust the government.

    Also, criticisng the government for its deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said it was poorly negotiated those “who had compromised on the rights of the people of Pakistan”.

    “Now… we will not ask him [PM Imran] to commit suicide, but at least for the sake of the people, he must accept his mistakes and resign so that the masses could be provided relief. He must acknowledge that he is incompetent and incapable,” Bilawal said in another dig at the premier.

    “When you have a selected government, then there is no regard for the people’s suffering,” Bilawal said, alleging that Imran’s entire career “could be credited to a chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency”.

    With Bilawal’s comments not going down well with Speaker Asad Qaiser, the latter said Imran was the PM and Bilawal could not speak of him in this manner. He reprimanded Bilawal and ordered the remarks be expunged from proceedings of the house.

    Communications Minister Murad Saeed, who is known for his aggressive speeches on the floor of the house, responded to Bilawal’s speech by launching a counterattack on the PPP chairperson. “How can someone who was handed his political career in his mother’s will, call the PM as ‘selected’,” he said.

    He asked how an “accidental chairman” could teach politics to them [PTI leaders] and told the lawmakers that he was the son of a labourer who owned no properties and that he was not a slave to anyone. “I challenge [Asif Ali] Zardari’s son to pick any constituency, I will contest elections against him.”

    Speaking next, Abdul Qadir Patel criticised Saeed’s taunts at the PPP chief, besides calling out the government for its “flawed” policies. “The common man is facing hardships in running day to day matters,” he said.

  • Karachi: World’s largest urban forest to be planted along Lyari river

    Karachi: World’s largest urban forest to be planted along Lyari river

    Sindh Minister for Local Government and Forests Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has announced that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will soon inaugurate the world’s largest urban forest that will be planted along the Lyari River in Karachi over an area of 26 kilometres.

    According to The News, Shah, while speaking to journalists on Monday, vowed to ensure that only environment-friendly trees that bear fruits will be planted, and said the project had been initiated according to the vision of the PPP chairman.

    The first phase of the project will be initiated at the bank of the Lyari River, while in the second phase, an urban forest will be planted along the Malir River, he added.

    The minister directed the authorities concerned to make arrangements for setting up recreational facilities for citizens as part of the project and also ordered constructing small playgrounds for children as well as a jogging track.

    He said that planting an urban forest along the rivers will turn the entire area into an attractive spot for local and foreign tourists. Shah added that such urban forests will also be planted in other parts of the city.

    The minister said that apart from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), other political parties are also supporting the provincial government in the project and announced constructing football, boxing grounds as well as volleyball and basketball courts for children of the city so they can involve themselves in healthy activities.

    The minister said that due to climate change and the ever-increasing temperature of Karachi, it was necessary to plant more trees. He also urged Karachiites to help in curbing pollution.

  • Extension almost here for Gen Bajwa as PTI, PML-N, PPP join hands in NA

    Extension almost here for Gen Bajwa as PTI, PML-N, PPP join hands in NA

    In a first, both the government and major opposition parties on Tuesday joined hands to approve in the National Assembly all three bills formalising the tenure of the three services chiefs, including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    According to Geo News, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan made a rare appearance in the Lower House of the parliament as the assembly voted on three bills that will formalise the tenures of the army, navy and air force chiefs.

    Before the voting started, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak took the floor to request the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that it take back amendments it had suggested to the bills, saying he was making the request “keeping in mind the regional and national situation”.

    Naveed Qamar, who spoke on behalf of the PPP in response to Khattak’s request, said that the amendments had been suggested to improve the bills but, after being approached by a government delegation and consulting with the rest of the opposition, the party had decided to withdraw them.

    With voting commencing shortly after the dialogue, Speaker Asad Qaiser asked legislators to express their assent or dissent. The bills were voted on clause by clause.

    Some opposition lawmakers, including those from Jamaate Islami (JI), the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), walked out in protest over the bills. They had earlier announced they would not be supporting the bills on principle. All the major parties had, however, lent near unquestioning assent to the same.

    After voting on the bills concluded, the National Assembly session was adjourned till 4 pm on Wednesday.

    The bills will now be sent for approval to the Senate Standing Committee on Defence before they are voted on in the Senate, and become law once signed by the president.

  • MQM to quit PTI’s ruling coalition, help opposition topple Imran govt?

    MQM to quit PTI’s ruling coalition, help opposition topple Imran govt?

    Soon after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to break away from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in centre and join the Sindh government, the MQM-P has expressed dissatisfaction over the federal government’s performance.

    According to The News, Bilawal had on Monday offered PTI’s ruling partners, the MQM-P, stakes in the Sindh government, saying Sindh and Karachi could only get their share of development if Imran’s government collapsed.

    “You can stop this injustice being done with Karachi and Pakistan by breaking your alliance with the PTI and toppling Imran Khan’s government to save Karachi, and we will fully support you. For the sake of Karachi, for the sake of the people of Karachi, we are ready to offer to the MQM[-P] in Sindh, as many ministries as they have in the centre today,” a very charged PPP chief had said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of four mega development projects in Korangi.

    While extending his offer, Bilawal had repeatedly called for toppling Imran’s government as he tried to persuade the MQM-P to break its alliance with the PTI in centre. He made the unexpected offer while Mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar — who belongs to the MQM-P — was attending the inaugural ceremony along with Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah.

    It wasn’t later that the MQM-P reacted to the offer by saying that they “hadn’t joined the PTI for ministries”.

    Dunya News quoted an MQM-P spokesperson as clarifying that the alliance with PTI “was for the benefit of Karachi and not to get ministries”. He further said that MQM-P’s politics were all about serving people; however, he reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the federal government.

    “Transfer powers to local governments instead of making offers of ministries,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying soon after Mayor Waseem Akhtar said that the MQM-P “could join anyone for the betterment of the people”.

    RULING COALITION:

    The PTI and its allies on one side and opposition parties on the other have closely contested their positions in the National Assembly.

    Given their respective numerical strengths, the ruling coalition has around 225 lawmakers while the opposition has nearly 221 members and the simple majority of the total lawmakers of 446 (342 MNAs and 104 senators) comes to 224.

    The PTI has 156 members of the National Assembly. Its allies have varying numbers. The Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) have five members each; Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has seven MPs; Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has three lawmakers; Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has four MNAs and Awami Muslim League and Jamhoori Watan Party have one member each besides the support of two independents.

    They all come to 184.

    In the Lower House of Parliament, the PML-N has 84 MNAs; Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has 55 MPs; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) has 16 members; and Awami National Party (ANP) has one lawmaker. Two independents stand with the opposition parties. In the Senate, the PTI is supported by 15 legislators, the MQM-P by 5 senators, the BAP by two MPs, and BNP-M and PML-Functional by one each. If the decisive number of 16 senators, including those elected from the erstwhile tribal areas are placed in the government pocket, the total strength of the PTI and its allies comes to 39 senators.

    With BNP-M likely to defect from the ruling coalition and the MQM-P being offered ministries in Sindh, any changes to the hung parliament in favour of the opposition parties could be fatal for the PTI government.

  • Imran now an international puppet: Bilawal

    Imran now an international puppet: Bilawal

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) cheif Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday took a jibe at Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and called him an “international puppet” for reportedly having succumbed to pressure from Saudi Arabia and cancelling his trip to Malaysia.

    Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah had last week quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that Pakistan had decided to stay away from the recently concluded Kuala Lumpur summit because of Saudi Arabia’s threats of economic sanctions.

    The statement had come amid claims by media outlets that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had “pressurised and threatened” Pakistan to refrain from participating in the summit that was attended by hundreds of government officials, businessmen, representatives of civil societies and experts from different sectors across the Muslim world.

    Besides Erdogan, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani were among the Muslim world leaders who attended the summit hosted by Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad. Meanwhile, Riyadh had rejected claims that Islamabad was told not to participate.

    With the PPP chief continuing to taunt the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for being “selected to power” and PM Imran for being “powerless”, he has now said that the premier “is not just a puppet of Pakistan, but also that of another country”.

    Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Bilawal also announced that he would not appear before the Nat­ional Accountability Bureau (NAB) on December 24, saying the call-up notice served to him by the anti-corruption watchdog is “unconstitutional and illegal”.

    NAB had summoned the PPP chairperson for a second time this month in the fake bank accounts and money laundering case on December 24.

    According to Dawn, Bilawal accused the government of creating obstacles in his party’s plans to observe late former PM Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary on December 27, and also called out the Imran administration for “preventing a son from observing the death anniversary of his mother” by not yet issuing permission to hold the death anniversary observance ceremony.

    “I will become even more dangerous if I am arrested. Arrest me if you can,” the PPP chief maintained as he criticised the government for “selective accountability” and for attempting to “pressurise the opposition”.

  • ‘Who’s trying to save their dad?’ Bilawal asks PM Imran

    A day after the government announced to review the death sentence awarded to former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has taken a dig at Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan by asking him that “who was trying to save their father”.

    “Who is running a ‘Save the Dad’ (abbu bachao) campaign?” the chairman of the country’s second-largest opposition party said in a tweet that apparently came in response to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ministers and the premier himself repeatedly calling out Bilawal and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz for launching “Save the Dad” campaigns.

    On Tuesday, a special court awarded death sentence to former military dictator Musharraf in absentia for suspending the constitution on November 3, 2007.

    While the counsel for the convict and the armed forces’ media wing in separate statements strongly criticised the decision that they said was taken “in haste”, opposition parties maintained that “justice had prevailed”.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that the government will “review in detail” the ruling.

    “We will review in detail, today’s verdict as well as yesterday’s,” Dawn quoted her saying on Tuesday. She further said that legal experts would analyse all legal and political aspects as well as the impact on national interests, after which a government statement would be presented to the media.

    In response to a question about whether the government will bring Musharraf back to Pakistan, Awan said the government would assess the matter with its legal team. “The premier himself will look at the relevant ground realities and legal framework, following which a final decision will be taken.”

  • VIDEO: Bilawal, Bakhtawar go to the beach

    VIDEO: Bilawal, Bakhtawar go to the beach

    Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday took a break from his political activities to bond with nature.

    Accompanied by his sister, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Bilawal made his way to Hawke’s Bay Beach where he released 300 baby green turtles into the sea. According to details, Bilawal was very excited to touch the baby turtles who were hatched at the Marine Turtle Conservation Nursery of Sindh Wildlife Department.

    The Sindh Wildlife Department, along with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has been carrying out a sea turtle conservation project in Pakistan since 1979. Adults are tagged and the eggs collected from the beach are incubated in special enclosures at Hawkesbay and Sandspit. Hatchlings are weighed and counted at the Sindh Wildlife lab at the beach and the relevant data is gathered.

    Though adult sea turtles spend most of their lives in the oceans, they return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs. Every year in October and November, green sea turtles arrive at the sandy beaches of Sindh and Balochistan which are important nesting sites for sea turtles. The turtles lay their eggs there and leave after burying them. This is where the wildlife department steps in a takes care of the eggs, which are vulnerable and can easily be preyed. After an incubation period of about two months the youngsters hatch and scramble towards the water. Only one in a thousand survive to adulthood.

    Watch video of the Bhutto-Zardari siblings releasing sea turtles here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6KzzXdBLCN/

    Meanwhile, Bakhtawar also shared her experience on Twitter:

  • Larkana by-election: ‘Is Bhutto still alive?’ Zartaj Gul trolls PPP

    Larkana by-election: ‘Is Bhutto still alive?’ Zartaj Gul trolls PPP

    With Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) facing defeat in Thursday’s Larkana by-election, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir has trolled the rival party with a jibe at its late founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

    By-poll in the PS-11 constituency — considered a stronghold of Sindh’s ruling PPP — had been announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after the Supreme Court had de-seated Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) candidate Moazzam Ali Abbasi in August.

    With an apex court bench declaring the election tribunal’s decision void and ordering re-election in the constituency, voters on Thursday polled to elect Abbasi, unofficial results revealed.

    As per preliminary results from 138 polling stations that were set up for the by-election, Abbasi bagged 31,557 votes, while his rival Jamil Soomro of the PPP obtained 26,021 votes.

    Reacting to the results, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari vowed to challenge what he believes was “rigging” in the by-election.

    In a series of posts shared on Twitter, the PPP leader said he was proud of party workers for “fighting an honourable election,” which he claimed they did “despite immense pressure from the establishment”.

    The accusations, however, did not seem to bother GDA or its allies, one of which is the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    “Wanted to ask if Bhutto is still alive or not,” PTI leader and minister Zartaj Gul tweeted.

    While many joined Wazir in her attempt to poke fun at the opposition party, others argued that the statement was in bad taste for speaking ill of the deceased.

  • Govt not responsible for kid’s death by rabies: Bilawal

    Govt not responsible for kid’s death by rabies: Bilawal

    Reacting to the death of the 10-year-old who was bitten by a stray dog in Larkana, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that his party-led Sindh government cannot be blamed for it.

    Minor Mir Hasan died of rabies on Tuesday. He was first taken to a hospital in Shikarpur, however, he was not given the treatment because there was no vaccine available there, reports said.

    Hasan’s parents were quoted as saying that they later rushed him to Larkana’s Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Hospital, but it had also run out of the required vaccine.

    A video of the boy, breathing his last in his mother’s arms outside the hospital, was widely shared over the internet as people blamed the PPP-led Sindh government for his death.

    However, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani said it wasn’t because of a shortage of anti-rabies vaccines. “He was bitten by a dog in his village two days before Eidul Azha, which was 40 days before his death.”

    The child was not brought to the hospital immediately after the dog bite and there is no record of him at any hospital in Shikarpur, said an initial investigation report submitted by the district commissioner.

    According to the report, the anti-rabies vaccine was available in stock at the hospitals Hasan was brought to, however, it needs to be administered immediately after a dog bite.

    Once hydrophobia has been developed, the vaccine does not work and is not administered, it said.

    Rubbishing reports regarding the shortage of vaccine, Bilawal, while speaking to reporters on Thursday night said, “The child was brought to the hospital beyond the time. He was bitten on Eid and brought to the hospital now.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    When questioned about the alleged negligence of the doctors involved, the PPP chief said that investigations were underway and the government had nothing to do with it.

    “The [Sindh] government isn’t responsible for it, but both the selected government and media keep fixating on that,” he said.

  • Meet social media stars of Chohan’s TikTok video fame

    Meet social media stars of Chohan’s TikTok video fame

    A TikTok video of Punjab government’s spokesperson and ex-information minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan went viral on social media, showing him and two girls laughing while asking him a question.

    Since then, people had been asking who the two girls were as the video was followed by their pictures with Pakistan Terheek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwarts, including Jehangir Tareen, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and even Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    To address netizens’ curiosity, Hareem Shah and Sundal Khattak were invited by a private media outlet, speaking to which they shared how they were big fans of the PTI, how they had gone to meet Chohan for an official concern and then recorded the video.

    They also shared how they want to meet Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and record a TikTok video with him as well.