LAHORE: Reacting shar­ply to the criticism of the party chairman by federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, the PPP regreted that a ‘visionary’ leader who had sought action against mil­i­t­ants much before the APS attack is being targeted by the ‘visionless’ government.

“It’s regrettable that the visionless government of PTI is targeting Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who had perceived and warned the authorities about the threat being posed by armed organisations to the country and demanded action against them years before the militants attacked the Peshawar Army Public School,” PPP central deputy information secretary Mun­a­war Anjum said on Sunday.

Responding to the minister’s tirade against the PPP chairman at a press conference, he said Mr Bhutto-Zardari was doing politics within the constitutional bo­u­nds and he was sincere for the country more than the incumbent prime minister.

He said PPP challenged the banned outfits whether it was in power or on the opposition benches.

Mr Anjum said it were the PTI and Fawad Chaudhry who attacked the state repeatedly during the ‘nefarious’ sit-in and lockdown of the federal capital, while the PPP leadership maintained its calm and composure during all trying times.

He asked the minister to first explain his own position viz-a-viz allegations of accepting bribes in the name of his uncle, who was a judge at the Lahore High Court, before advising others on financial and political matters.

He claimed that the PPP leadership was being attacked to force the party change its views on the 18th Constitution Amendment but he said the party would never compromise on the provincial autonomy granted through the amendment.

Referring to Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s planned train march from Karachi to Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, he said it’s aimed at launching a mass-contact drive and not a protest march.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2019