From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: In a fiery pre-election salvo, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has thrown shade at his former ally, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying that he won’t let the Nawaz Sharif-led party “run away from polls”.
The nation is getting ready to cast ballots in the general election which is set to take place on February 8 — after much ado — and while the PPP is seemingly in an all-out electioneering mode, the PML-N’s low-key electioneering has raised eyebrows as it delays ticket issuance to candidates.
Accusing the PML-N of “always running from elections” in their Lahore stronghold on Wednesday, Bilawal has upped the ante in the race for the upcoming polls, as he also said: “I heard the PML-N ruled the NA-127 constituency, but I can’t see it’s visibility here.”
“We won’t let Noon League run away from elections. We are on the ground, where is the PML-N?” Bilawal wondered as he continued his tirade of the Nawaz-led party not doing enough for electioneering and “undermining the electoral process”.
“I can’t even see the PTI [Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] over here,” he said, assailing the embattled party, which just secured its iconic ‘bat’ electoral symbol earlier in the day after a court order.
Just like the PPP, the PTI was also complaining about not getting a level-playing field. However, as the days pass, the PPP chairman — who became Pakistan’s youngest foreign minister last year — has shifted focus on his campaign “to win”.
The PPP, which for more than a decade formed the sole government in Sindh, is now vying to come into power not only in the other three provinces but also in the Centre, in a bid to make Bilawal the next prime minister.
“The ‘arrow’ will win. I can foresee the PPP’s victory. After the victory, we will change the fate of this city, province, and country,” said Bilawal who was nominated as his party’s prime minister candidate this month.
The PPP’s top leader also vowed that he would work hard and become the nation’s “voice”, claiming that he would ensure that the salaries of the masses rise. He also made a promise to roll out welfare schemes for labourers and the class with lower salaries.
