ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that his party will stand with the people’s decision regarding the creation of new provinces and will never accept such changes through force.
Speaking to the media at Parliament House, Bilawal said the PPP’s position on new provinces had always been clear. He said the party could not oppose the creation of a province if the people supported it and the relevant assemblies did not object.
“We will stand with the people on the issue of new provinces,” Bilawal said, adding that the PPP had never accepted decisions imposed through force and would not do so in the future.
Bilawal also criticized the federal government over the recent Azad Kashmir elections. He alleged that the PPP had been defeated in the elections despite raising concerns about the electoral process and security arrangements.
He said the PPP would not cooperate with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government until its concerns were addressed. However, he added that the PPP would continue to cooperate with the government on important national issues.
Bilawal questioned whether coalition partners should be treated in the manner he said the PPP had been treated during the Azad Kashmir elections. He said the PML-N had not contacted the PPP’s party or parliamentary committee to address its objections.
He said Kashmir was a highly sensitive issue and that an election there should be free from controversy. According to Bilawal, a government with a clear public mandate was necessary to resolve the problems faced by the people of Kashmir.
Regarding constitutional amendments, Bilawal said no specific proposal had yet been presented before the PPP. He said the party would consider any proposal once its details were formally presented.
He stressed that matters on which political parties had consensus should be decided through consensus, while issues without agreement should be discussed through dialogue.
Bilawal also said he wanted PTI founder Imran Khan to receive proper medical treatment and recover.
Talking about contacts with the opposition, he said he had met opposition leaders Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. He expressed the hope that opposition parties would return to parliamentary committees.
Bilawal said parliamentary committees were important for making Parliament effective and that the opposition had an important role to play in the legislative process.
He also called on opposition parties to contribute to electoral reforms. He said that if opposition parties wanted improvements in the electoral system, they should work together through Parliament to introduce necessary reforms.
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