KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan had no political space in Karachi and that his party would not only win the local government elections in the metropolis but also form the next federal government.

The PPP chairman sounded confident while making claims but at the same time could not share much when asked about his party’s performance in Karachi and other parts of Sindh where it had been in power for the past 13 years.

Instead, he blamed Islamabad for creating hurdles and depriving his party’s government in Sindh of financial resources that had been negatively affecting governance in the province.

Says PTI, MQM-P have no political space in metropolis; inaugurates YMCA Ground

Talking to reporters after inaugurating the renovated YMCA ground, he even predicted the fall of the PTI government at the centre while calling it “illegitimate and unstable”.

‘Election could take place anytime’

When asked about the performance of his government in the province and plans that could attract voters in Karachi where it had failed to win majority seats in any election for the last three decades, he referred to a “number of steps” taken by his government for the people of Karachi and history of his rivals that badly disappointed the people of the metropolis.

“This government is set to fall soon,” he said in response to a question about the performance of the PTI government and Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s recent growing political activism that had seen senior politicians in Balochistan joining the PPP.

“The PPP would form the next government. Elections could take place anytime and the PPP has a history that it always remains prepared for the polls and can go to the masses anytime and emerge victorious. The people are seeing the [PTI] government’s injustices and they know that the PPP is the only solution to their problems,” he said.

“The PPP government is making efforts from dawn to dusk [for Karachi and its people],” he claimed. “And it’s quite visible in Karachi. We have established a state-of-the-art health system in Karachi which is providing free services to the people.

“Similarly, we are creating public spaces like this one [where] we are sitting today for recreational activities. The CM is doing his best and would take every possible step to make performance better. But let me tell you that the MQM and PTI would be rejected by the people of Karachi in the next local government elections,” he predicted.

Wishes luck to PDM

The PPP chief also spoke about the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which he said failed to sustain itself after his party along with others had parted ways with it over differences.

He claimed that it was the PPP that helped the PDM to succeed on a number of occasions including by-polls in different parts of the country and the last Senate elections.

“The PDM was meeting success while it was following the strategies devised by the PPP,” said Mr Bhutto-Zardari when asked to comment on the PDM’s politics and its upcoming meeting. “While we will not attend the upcoming meeting of the PDM, we wish the alliance good luck.”

He said that the PPP believed that a united show of force by the opposition was needed to dethrone the current regime. “If the opposition moves a no-confidence motion first against [Punjab chief minister] Buzdar and then [Prime Minister Imran] Khan we can send this government packing tomorrow.”

He also criticised the federal government for depriving Sindh of funds because it “deliberately” wanted to damage the repute of the PPP government, which was struggling for “the rights of Karachi and people of Sindh”.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2021