LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the ‘selected’ prime minister is not serious about uprooting corruption as he is busy instituting ‘fake’ cases against his political opponents.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, he said Imran Khan’s “politics starts and ends at the National Accountability Bureau”.

The PPP chairman criticised Mr Khan for what he called his ‘inappropriate’ statement about Afghanistan. He said the people of the war-torn country and their elected representatives should be allowed to decide their future through negotiations.

PPP leader terms Imran’s remarks about Afghanistan inappropriate

He said it was assumed that the Afghan peace talks would be productive, but that did not happen because elected representatives of Afghanistan were not taken on board.

When US President Donald Trump spoke about a pullout from Afghanistan, the president of Afghanistan only came to know about it through television, he said.

Accompanied by Sindh PPP president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and provincial minister Syed Nasir Shah, the PPP chief called the accountability laws ‘double-faced’ as the anti-corruption watchdog was reluctant to act against a federal minister and his brother.

In reply to a question, he said former president Asif Ali Zardari had not gone on the ‘back foot’ in politics, adding that the PPP co-chairman had extensively toured and addressed many gatherings and he was very much in politics.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that he had asked the government to remove three federal ministers for their alleged links with the banned outfits, but no action came against them.

Now a minister had been included into the federal cabinet who allegedly had an important role in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, he added. “What kind of message the government wants to send by its actions.”

He reiterated his demand that the government should take action against proscribed organisations.

Commenting on Saturday’s visit to Ghotki of the prime minister, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said the enemies of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the 1973 constitution and the 18th Amendment were sitting on the dais with Imran Khan.

He criticised the federal government for not releasing Rs120 billion to Sindh which had been facing shortage of funds in the health and education sectors.

“We will oppose this kind of treatment of Sindh by the centre in parliament and at all other forums,” he added.

He praised the Sindh government for achieving good results in different sectors through public-private partnership.

Commenting on the prime minister’s announcement of establishing a university in Hyderabad, the PPP chief said the PTI government had no track record of setting up universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the PPP had been running several universities throughout the country.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he would welcome Imran Khan if he provided funds to Sindh for establishing and running the university.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2019