KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has rejected the notion that the opposition is riding a wave of ‘neutrality’, stressing that “we have to put up a fight with or without a neutral”.

“The PPP has proved it throughout history that whether there was neutral or not, we have to put up a fight. We must snatch our space,” he told Adil Shahzeb of DawnNews in an interview on Monday.

“Institutions were not neutral when Gen Zia was the dictator, but we still fought. Institutions were not neutral when Musharraf was in power, but we still continued our political struggle.”

Mr Bhutto-Zardari made these remarks as opposition legislators launched a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in parliament on Monday.

The house will begin a debate on the motion on Thursday and a vote is to be held within seven days.

Says PPP has been fighting against Imran Khan’s govt since day one

The opposition and analysts claim the prime minister had fallen out with the powerful establishment, which is not taking sides these days — or is simply neutral.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said the opposition’s struggle was not new, as they had been fighting against the present government since day one. “We have been fighting this battle with an understanding that whether there is a neutral or not, we have to fight the battle of democracy… [and] parliament. We have to fight the people’s war.”

He said the biggest test of neutrality was the no-confidence motion, adding that it would be in the country’s interest if all institutions worked within their constitutional framework.

“The PPP has been struggling for three generations. One or two steps forward, one step back… but we have been continuously making efforts to ensure democracy continues in Pakistan.”

Talking about the PTI’s public meeting in Islamabad on Sunday, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said it was evident from the premier’s speech that “he was trembling”.

“Khan Sahib was standing in Parade Ground, sweating buckets … while reading from a paper,” he said. “It was clear that he was scared and upset. And I think whoever is in government is facing a similar situation.

“We are preparing for a democratic victory and defeat the ‘selected’,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said, using a euphemism for Mr Khan to mean that he was nurtured and supported by the establishment.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2022