RAWALPINDI: PPP Information Secretary Dr Nafisa Shah on Tuesday said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will announce the party’s future strategy at the public meeting in Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, marking the 12th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.

“Bilawal Bhutto will come to Rawalpindi as a symbol of unity of all the four units of the country,” she said.

Addressing a press conference at Rawalpindi Press Club, she welcomed the special court’s decision to penalise Pervez Musharraf.

“Today is a big day for democracy. After the decision under Article 6, no dictator will dare abrogate the Constitution in future,” she said.

The PPP leader said the country was being run through a selective system. “It is time to give people an opportunity to elect their representatives in a transparent manner,” she said.

Ms Shah said Asif Ali Zardari had strengthened institutions with the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

She said Imran Khan took another u-turn by canceling his Malaysia visit.

She expressed the hope that Benazir’s killers would also be arrested soon.

She ruled out any deal for the release of Asif Zardari and Faryal Talpur and said Prime Minister Imran Khan could not take credit for Mr Zardari’s bail as his government was against the release of the former president.

“The release of Khurshid Shah and Faryal Talpur on bail shows the direction of the winds is changing.”

She said the party had reservations over Interior Minister Ijaz Shah’s impartiality.

“The foreign funding case is a big scandal but the PTI wanted to escape from its own accountability as it has submitted several applications to get the hearing stopped,” she said.

In reply to another query, she said doctors would decide whether Asif Zardari would attend the public meeting on Dec 27.

“Security concerns are always there but we can deal with it,” she said.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2019