LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has poured cold water on hopes for a grand opposition alliance that was hinted at by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal president Maulana Fazlur Rehman after a meeting with Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad on Saturday.

“We aren’t moving towards any grand alliance as meetings between Asif Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman are a routine,” he told media personnel in Shadman Colony on Sunday after offering condolences over the passing away of Shakeela Rashid, a former PPP lawmaker and widow of Sheikh Rashid.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari, however, said the PPP would make all possible efforts for an opposition alliance. But his party could survive even if it was alone on the opposition benches, he said.

PPP chairman sees conspiracy against his father in garb of benami accounts

Referring to his father’s political acumen, he said Mr Zardari had the ability to assemble all political forces on one platform. “Mr Zardari was also the only democratically elected president who completed his term despite all odds,” he said.

Responding to a question about report of a joint investigation team (JIT) constituted to look into the fake bank accounts case, he decried what he called “state conspiracy against his father” in the name of benami accounts. “The National Accountability Bureau and other investigation agencies are working under government pressure. The JIT report is a bogus document being used for political reasons.”

Alleging that the JIT had been formed for political reasons, the PPP chairman said all the cases against his party’s leaders “were false and fake as some powers wanted to malign the party”.

“We are responding to political attacks in a political way. Legal issues are being countered in courts. They want to use court for political engineering.”

He said Mr Zardari had served 11 years in jail without committing any crime and had been appearing before courts to deny the allegations levelled against him.

He said there’s a history of character assassination of PPP leadership which goes back to the late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

“We’re ideological politicians and cannot be browbeaten. We won’t be afraid even if you imprison my whole family.”

He said the incumbent government was the most “inexperienced, incompetent and inept rulers” as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had failed to properly run both the federal and Punjab governments.

“The worst loadshedding is being carried out in winter. The government has zero performance. The economy is heading for destruction and the ministers should focus their attention on that instead of targeting the opposition.”

Referring to the railway minister’s diatribe against the PPP leadership, he advised Sheikh Rashid to pay attention to the affairs of his own ministry instead. “Who will run the trains if Sheikh Rashid begins to criticise my politics? He should concentrate on his ministry.”

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2019