From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Citing the latest turn of events on the political landscape ahead of the February 8 nationwide polls, Pa-kistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned his rivals — Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan — “will see the karmic turn of revenge-centric politics in this world soon”.
The PPP chief, in his address during an election rally in Malakand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Wednesday, urged politicians to put aside the traditional style of politics focused on sidelining their rivals.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Khan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz will see the discomforting twist of events for involving themselves in revengeful actions, predicted Bilawal.
He censured Nawaz for not taking any lesson after witnessing his daughter, Maryam, as becoming a victim of revengeful politics after trapping Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s daughter Benazir in fake cases. Commenting on the Toshakhana verdict, Bilawal said that the PTI founder gave hope to the country’s youth to bring a change but he took U-turns. “I will not celebrate today’s judgement. However, I want to ask the PTI founder to seek repentance over his mistakes.”
The former foreign minister, whose party was a key coalition partner of the former Pakistan Demo-cratic Movement (PDM) government post-departure of the PTI rule, said that some people were still demanding a level-playing field ahead of the poll but they forgot the PPP has never gotten equal op-portunities in any elections.
He lambasted the calls for the postponement of the general elections again, saying: “We will fight all challenges. They were arguing about bad weather and terrorism to delay the polls. I want to tell all pol-iticians to refrain from playing with the national economy.”
He blamed the incarcerated ex-premier Khan’s decisions for the recent surge in terrorist attacks and promised to uproot the terrorism if his party is voted into power.
The politician appealed to the nation to carefully choose their ruler in the forthcoming elections as only the PPP has the potential to deal with all national crises successfully.
Bilawal, while reiterating his vows during electioneering, said that he would release all political prison-ers on the first day of his rule. He also promised to provide relief to the common people and eliminate the perks of the elites.
The election campaigns of all political parties equipped with mollifying manifestos and promises are in full swing across the country ahead of the February 8 vote. PML-N and PPP are eyeing the premier’s office and desperately swaying voters to elect them to power.
The party had earlier announced the following 10-point agenda for the manifesto:
Double real income for wage earners — 8% increase every year
Free solar energy of 300 units for the poor; every district to have green energy parks
Education for all — rolling out projects for better education
Free health for all across Pakistan
Three million houses for flood affectees and the poor
Ghurbat Mitao: Expand BISP’s scope; introduce more welfare schemes
Khushhaal Kisaan: BISP-like programme for farmers and ‘Hari Card’
Enhanced support for labourers through Benazir Mazdoor Card
‘Youth Card’ for unemployed youth and ‘Youth Markaz’
‘Bhook Mitao Programme’
