Current Final

Tag: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

  • Bilawal believes, PML-N, MQM alliance will benefit PPP

    Bilawal believes, PML-N, MQM alliance will benefit PPP

    Commenting on the electoral alliance recently formed between Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), asserted on Friday that the coalition would prove advantageous for his party in the upcoming general election.

    Earlier this week, PML-N and MQM-P, former allies of the PPP in the Centre, declared their intention to collaborate in the upcoming general elections. This alliance has the potential to influence election outcome in urban areas of Sindh.

    The development occurred amidst the escalating war of words between the PPP and PML-N, following the announcement by the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct elections in the country on February 8, 2024.

    The romance between the two former allies ended after the PDM-led coalition government completed its term in August, and both the PPP and PML-N locked horns over election-related issues.

    During an interaction with journalists in Safari Park, they PPP chairman said: “We worked hard to make him [Shehbaz Sharif] prime minister. It was the need of the hour.”

    He emphasised that the decision was intended to address the ongoing political and democratic crisis in the country. The PPP leader highlighted that, during the government led by the PDM, his party contributed to the betterment of Sindh.

  • Strong-arm tactics should be used against terrorists, not Afghans, says Bilawal

    Strong-arm tactics should be used against terrorists, not Afghans, says Bilawal

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former Foreign Minister, has condemned the “strong-arm tactics” that are being used by the caretaker government for the repatriation of Afghan refugees. The chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party showed concern over the process of repatriation of illegal Afghans from the country. “A distinction must be made between people and terrorists while devising any policy,” said the ex-foreign minister while talking to reporters in Karachi.

    He called out the caretaker government for the “lack of clarity” in its policy about the repatriation and cautioned, “If you go against people, you will never achieve your target.”

    More than 200,000 Afghans have left the country amidst the current drive of deportation. The government is determined to deport all the refugees in a span of one year despite criticism from civil society, the Afghan government, and UNHCR.

  • ‘The sun of February 8 will rise with the message of Bilawal’s victory’: Asif Zardari

    ‘The sun of February 8 will rise with the message of Bilawal’s victory’: Asif Zardari

    Former President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday that he believes his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will win the next election.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Arif Alvi recently decided that the election will take place on February 8, 2024.

    In an official statement issued today, Zardari welcomed the announcement of the election date and said: “The sun of February 8 will rise with the message of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s victory.”

    “A few days of the public’s difficulties are left. The PPP will bring an end to the people’s ordeals,” he added.

    The former president went on to express his gratitude to the public for the party’s victory in by-elections held in Karachi’s nine local government constituencies.

    “Sindh’s heart, Karachi, also raised the slogan of ‘Jiye Bhutto’,” Zardari said while terming Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab and Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad’s wins a “special message for the opponents”.

    “Every party worker may become the ambassador of Benazir Bhutto shaheed and start the electoral campaign,” he added.

    In another statement, Bilawal also congratulated the Karachi by-election winners and said, “The public has given its verdict. Now, God-willing, the PPP’s victory on February 8 is also written on the wall.”

    Before the election, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been arguing a lot.

    The PPP says the PML-N is secretly working with the current interim government. On the other hand, the PPP has said it is ready to work with the former ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party because they want the election to be fair for everyone.

    This shift in alliances and strategies underscores the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of Pakistani politics, as the country gears up for a pivotal moment in its democratic journey.

  • Bilawal Bhutto ki mulaqaatein, Kya ho rahi hain baatein

    Bilawal Bhutto ki mulaqaatein, Kya ho rahi hain baatein

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met his party leaders on Tuesday in Islamabad to deliberate on the current political landscape of the country.

    In a notable development, Robina Shaheen Wattoo, a former member of the Assembly representing Okara, officially joined PPP. Her inclusion was warmly embraced by Bhutto-Zardari, marking an important addition to the party.

    On the occasion, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf were present.

    The meeting delved into the intricate political dynamics of Punjab, with a particular focus on the situation in Okara.

    Several prominent PPP leaders including Sardar Omar Goraya, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha, and Shazi Khan were present in the meeting.

    Focused on dissecting the current political climate of the nation, the discussions centred on navigating Pakistan’s complex political situation.

  • ‘Election and democracy halted for one person’s return’: Bilawal takes swipe at Nawaz

    ‘Election and democracy halted for one person’s return’: Bilawal takes swipe at Nawaz

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made thinly veiled references to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif while addressing a public gathering held in connection with the 16th anniversary of the Karsaz tragedy, outside Bilawal House in Karachi.

    He said on Wednesday that the country’s constitution, election, and democracy were halted for “one person’s return.”

    Despite being partners in the last government and demanding the former three-time prime minister’s return, the PPP has kept raising concerns that Nawaz might get “special relief”.

    Nawaz will return to Pakistan on Saturday (October 21) and has been granted protective bail till October 24 in Avenfield and Al-Azizia case. Arrest warrants in Toshakhana case have also been suspended till October 24.

    “Our previous allies will have to acknowledge that delaying elections will not ‘give respect to vote’, rather disrespect it,” Bilawal said during a public rally in Karachi, hitting out at the PML-N, whose slogan has been “vote ko izzt do (give respect to the sanctity of vote)”.

    The PPP chairman also said that he wants to end the politics of divide and abuse, adding that if politicos keep fighting amongst themselves, the country will not progress.

    “We can swallow the ‘bitter pill’ [of holding elections] in more than 90 days only when the election commission announces a date for the polls,” he said.

    He called for holding elections, saying only people had the right to choose their leaders and make decisions for their future.

    “We have to leave politics of abuses and divide behind. We need new leadership… a leadership that is not stuck in the past but thinks about the future. We don’t want 90s’ Pakistan or 2017’s Pakistan. We want today’s Pakistan… Pakistan of 2023… a modern Pakistan,” he added.

    “The tenure of [coalition] government of the last 16 months taught us that Pakistan cannot be run from London,” he said.

    In view of the skyrocketing inflation and depleting economic reserves, the PPP leader demanded that relief should be given to the common man instead of the elite.

  • ‘I have passed all exams of life,’ Zardari tells ‘enemies’.

    ‘I have passed all exams of life,’ Zardari tells ‘enemies’.

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, has told his enemies that “elections are near” and he has passed all “exams of life”, Geo has reported.

    While addressing a dinner party given by PPP leader Ghulam Qadir Mari in Naushero Feroz district on Tuesday, Zardari said, “I was born in this land (Sindh), and I will continue to strive for the development of this land.”

    The PPP co-chairman also said that he is the son of soil and will always struggle for it.

    “The PPP has always served the people. I have struggled all my life, and my workers have also supported me,” said the former president, adding, “We know each other. Allah gave us the opportunity, so we served the people and this soil. I have to be buried in this soil. It is our duty to serve it.”

    The PPP leader also mentioned that he gave Pashtuns their separate identity, and by bringing the 18th Amendment, his party gave provincial service.

    Recounting the sacrifices of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, Zardari said, “Today, I am serving you, then Bilawal Bhutto will serve, as will Aseefa Bhutto. We are all with the people of Sindh.”

  • PPP will form the next government, says Bilawal Bhutto

    PPP will form the next government, says Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said on Monday while addressing an audience at Sukkur’s Jinnah Stadium, that it is “evident” that the PPP will form the next government.

    The former Foreign Minister also said that “The writing is on the wall” that his party will be in power in the next government.

    Talking about the upcoming polls, Bilawal Bhutto stressed that general elections are inevitable.

    He added, “They [elections] will be held within 90 days, if not then within 100 or even within 120 days at most.”

    Earlier, while speaking at a ceremony in Hyderabad, the PPP head said that his former political allies are running away from elections.

    Without naming names, the PPP leader took a jibe at former ally Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for refusing to support elections within the constitutionally mandated 90-day window.

  • It is ECP’s responsibility to conduct elections: PPP

    It is ECP’s responsibility to conduct elections: PPP

    In a meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) expressed concerns about the upcoming general elections, Geo has reported, reminding the constitutional body that it is its duty to hold timely elections.

    The party has reservations about the date of the elections, stressing that election should be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA) as per the constitution.

    On August 17, the electoral body announced the schedule of new delimitations to be carried out as per the new census approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) earlier this month.

    According to the ECP schedule, four months are required for the new delimitation, which means that a general election is not possible in the country within 90 days after the dissolution of the provincial and national assemblies.

    “We had a meeting with the ECP in a pleasant environment, during which we put forward all our reservations,” said PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman in a press conference held after the meeting.

  • Bilawal expresses dissatisfaction with Nawaz and Zardari’s political stance

    Bilawal expresses dissatisfaction with Nawaz and Zardari’s political stance

    In a rare public display of divergence within the ruling coalition, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed his unhappiness with the political stance of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz head Nawaz Sharif and his father, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

    While addressing the National Assembly (NA) on Monday, Bilawal Bhutto categorically stated that, “Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari should make decisions that make it easier for me [Bilawal] and Maryam Nawaz to pursue politics in the future”.

    In an important statement, Bilawal Bhutto said that his government had failed to keep institutions within their constitutional limits.

    He regretted that, despite his previous assertions that institutions should operate within their legal restrictions, the objective had not been met.
    He urged all political parties to think about how they can tackle the issue as elections approach.

    Referring to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, the Foreign Minister said that it is a success of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to remove the ‘Selected Prime Minister’ through a no confidence motion.

    However, Bilawal Bhutto also mentioned that it’s the responsibility of the opposition to criticise the wrong policies of the government. He pointed out that PDM has an opposition party that has no concern for democracy and doesn’t even believe in parliament.

    This opposition party crossed the “red line,” and it happened for the first time in history, he added.

    Regarding the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the foreign minister said, “I have seen politicians either in jail or in politics in Pakistan.”

  • Bilawal Bhutto attends unveiling of Benazir Bhutto’s statue at Madame Tussauds in Dubai

    Bilawal Bhutto attends unveiling of Benazir Bhutto’s statue at Madame Tussauds in Dubai

    Foreign Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the Commemoration Ceremony at which a wax figure of his mother, the Muslim world’s first female Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Dubai.

    In a tweet on Sunday, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman said that, “With immense pride and humility, I attended the unveiling of the statue of the first Pakistani personality to be commemorated at Madame Tussauds today in Dubai – the inimitable, the indomitable, the irreplaceable, my mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.”

    He hoped that  statue will serve to inspire generations to come and remind us of the enduring resonance of the values of his mother lived and fought for – democracy, justice, human rights, rule of law, compassion, and freedom.

    He further expressed gratitude to the Madame Tussauds Dubai on behave of the Bhutto Family for the gesture, he said, “My family and I, and indeed, all Pakistanis are profoundly grateful to Madame Tussauds Dubai for honouring Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s memory and legacy.”

    The late Benazir Bhutto was the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Muslim world. She became the head of the country at the age of 35, after a prolonged fight against the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq, who had hanged her father, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

    Benazir Bhutto was killed in a terrorist attack in Rawalpindi after giving a speech at an election rally in December 2007. Just two months earlier, she had survived a terrorist attack on her convoy after her triumphant return to Pakistan.