GUJRAT: PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday lambasted what he said “favouritism” being shown to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan.

He alleged that in the run-up to the elections there is a movement under way to form a “puppet alliance” and a new Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), giving Mr Khan and his party a leg-up in the polls.

“If Imran Khan is so popular, if his politics is on a high [as is being presented] and people are with him, why is there a need for favouritism towards him? Why is there a need to give a non-level playing field to other political parties?” Bilawal asked, while speaking to media personnel at the Lalamusa residence of Punjab PPP president Qamar Zaman Kaira.

PPP chief promises food card initiative for the masses

Bilawal stayed at Kaira House for a night after finishing his tour from Islamabad to Lalamusa late on Tuesday. He also addressed the rallies in Gujjar Khan and Jhelum before reaching Lalamusa Town of Gujrat.

“Why is Imran Khan afraid of free and fair elections?” he wondered. “It is because he knows that, be it the GDA [Grand Democratic Alliance] or the PTI or whoever else, they cannot compete on a level playing field.”

“Khan Sahib is under the false impression that he can become the prime minister through conspiracies; he will fail in this conspiracy,” the PPP chief claimed.

The PPP chief claimed that it was not just the PPP and PML-N who had reservations over the fairness of the election, but also the Awami National Party, political leaders in Balochistan, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and international media.

On Tuesday Bilawal called for a broad-based consensus among all parties on the “principles within the CoD, 18th Amendment and democracy as whole to agree that they would not compromise on the basic constitutional rights, freedom of press, freedom of political association and freedom of speech”.

Later on his way to Mandi Bahauddin, Bilawal passed through Gujrat city where the local chapter of the party had arranged a reception at GTS Chowk but it had a thin participation.

Speaking to the rallies in Phalia and Mandi Bahauddin cities, he pledged to launch food card programme to counter the food deficiency among the masses as his party did by initiating the Benazir Income Support Program. The food initiative, he said, would also generate employment opportunities for the women.

He said if voted to power his party would start the insurance of crops for the farmers. He said he had come out to complete the mission of his mother and for that he needed the votes and support for the PPP candidates.

PPP candidates Asif Bashir Bhagat (NA-85), Nawaz Tarrar (PP-65) and Azmatullah Marth (PP-66) accompanied the party chairman at the container.

According to our Sargodha correspondent, the PPP chairman also addressed a gathering in Bhalwal in the evening where he criticised his rivals.

He was scheduled to visit Kotmomin, Jhal Chakian and Sargodha late on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2018