LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that he supports Prime Minister Imran Khan’s initiative to act as a facilitator for talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia to help defuse rising tensions between the two countries.

He said that war would have devastating impact on the country, which already faced tensions along its borders with Afghanistan and India and the situation was tense at home. “We will support this [no-war] policy of the government,” he said.

He told reporters after inaugurating an HIV treatment support centre at Ratodero taluka hospital on Wednesday that it was indeed a welcome step but it seemed to be wrapped in confusion from the very start. At first, the initiative was attributed to the United States then it was linked to Saudi Arabia but when Imran Khan landed in Iran he insisted it was purely his move.

About Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s refusal to support PPP candidate in Larkana by-election, Bilawal said that as far as maulana’s Azadi March was concerned, which demanded ouster of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government, his party would support it but only maulana himself could explain his party’s decision to back a PTI-backed candidate against PPP’s Jamil Soomro.

He recalled that a multiparty conference of opposition parties had in principle decided to back the candidate of the party in by-election who might have obtained highest number of votes. In Bannu by-election, PPP had supported JUI-F candidate while in Ghotki JUI-F had reciprocated by lending support to PPP’s candidate, he said.

Bilawal evaded a question about whether a “selected” MPA was sent to the assembly in general election and reiterated if rigging was not carried out this time, his party’s candidate would emerge victorious.

“We want free and fair election and we stand by maulana’s Azadi March and demand prime minister’s resignation,” he said.

He said in answer to a question about federal minister Fawad Chaudhry’s statement that it had exposed PTI-government’s performance, whose polices had already led to sacking of a large number of media men by their media houses, industries, agriculture sector.

Definitely, closure of 400 departments would not only drastically affect economy but would also create an army of jobless people who would overburden the economy, he said.

He explained that there were two approaches to economy — rightist and leftist. In the rightist approach, the rich were made richer and downsizing was order of the day whereas the leftist approach followed populist programmes, created jobs to not only end joblessness but also build economy. PPP believed in awami programmes, he said.

Earlier, the PPP chairman inaugurated the HIV treatment support centre and said that another treatment centre which was already working in Larkana would be converted into a centre of excellence and a model for others to follow.

He said all health institutions in the country should jointly fight the challenge.

“We are working with WHO, Unicef and other agencies and we are thinking of providing transport facilities to poor patients,” he said.

About his government’s announcement of founding an endowment fund to help HIV-affected patients financially, Bilawal quoted Sindh Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuho and said that a donors’ conference would be convened in Karachi soon to frame long-term policy.

Ms Pechuho who stood by Bilawal during his press talk said that her department had trained child specialists to treat HIV-affected children.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2019