PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday ruled out an electoral alliance with other political parties for the coming general elections.

Speaking at a party gathering at the residence of its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa general secretary Humayun Khan, Mr Bilawal said that his party would not enter into an electoral alliance and would contest the next elections on its own.

Later, addressing an Iftar party at a local hotel he criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and said that the country and government both were going nowhere under his rule.

Says power crisis deteriorating day by day in country

He said that the premier was not ready to appear before the apex court, but now he appeared before a joint investigation team. He said that it was revenge of the history that the ruler of the country was made to stand before the grade-18 and 19 officers.

The PPP chairman said that power shortages across the country were deteriorating with each passing day, as major cities like Karachi were witnessing hours-long loadshedding.

He said that while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not being provided its due share of power, Sindh was being denied its share in natural gas.

He said that the KP and Fata were the worst hit in the fight against terrorism and now development activity was not taking place in the tribal belt. He said that the National Action Plan and Fata reforms were also not being followed in letter and spirit.

Mr Bilawal also called for setting up a judicial commission to investigate the Army Public School (APS) carnage. He said that proper investigation of the incident was the right of the parents.

He criticised Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, saying he was fooling the people. He said that the so-called change of Mr Khan was a lie.

He said that Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan shared the same thinking and both supported privatisation and corporatisation.

He said that his party would launch a public outreach campaign after Ramazan at the tehsil, district and divisional level to mobilise the workers. He said that they would also engage party’s disgruntled leaders.

Mr Bilawal also met Iqbal Khan, father of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan student Mashal Khan who was launched by a mob, and offered his condolences to him. He said that his party would arrange a seminar about Mashal where they would discuss leftist politics.

He also met the representatives of Young Doctors Association and decried efforts to privatise the health and education sectors, saying it would affect the common man.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2017