LARKANA: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday said that if general elections are held on their scheduled time there would be no “facilitators” of Imran Khan left in “any of the institutions” and that’s the reason the PTI chairman has been calling for snap polls.

“That’s why he (Imran Khan) has indul­ged in blame game so that he could create hurdles in the way of democracy and interrupt the tenure of parliament,” he said.

Talking to reporters after visiting the newly-built Trauma Centre, the foreign minister while stressing the continuity of democracy recalled that since 2007 dem­o­cracy had started gaining root in the country as parliamentary institutions completed their constitutional terms thrice in sharp contrast to the past when assemblies used to be dissolved within two to three years.

Now Imran Khan, he alleged, wanted the door of dictatorship opened so that he could enter the corridor of power from back door. There must be a conspiracy behind Mr Khan’s moves, he said.

The PPP leader said that Imran Khan was adamant on getting early elections when his “facilitators” were in the establishment so that he can take advantage of their presence.

Says former PM’s ‘facilitators’ present in some institutions; visits newly-built Trauma Centre in Larkana

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said though his [Imran Khan’s] ‘facilitators’ no longer existed in the establishment, he cannot rule out the possibility of presence such elements in other institutions. Therefore, he emphasised, if elections are held on time there will be no such facilitators left in any of the institutions.

Describing Imran Khan and his slogans as a story of the past, he recalled that Gen Musharraf also used to make tall claims about revolution when he was democratically ousted.

Referring to Imran Khan’s election narrative that army will support him, the PPP chairman wondered whether people in all the institutions worked as the PTI’s tiger force.

He regretted that a man sitting out of power for the past eight months had been openly talking about violating the Cons­titution and described this kind of political narrative as against democracy and a manifestation of dictatorial mindset.

“Whenever people were given opportunity, they inflicted defeat on undemocratic and selected forces and elected democratic forces,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said, adding that parliament would complete its five-year term.

While visiting the Trauma Centre, the PPP leader said that Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) had served not only Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot and Jacobabad districts but patients from parts of Balochistan and southern Punjab also came to this health facility.

People of Larkana will have the facility of 1122 emergency ambulance service. The service should be expanded to Hyde­rabad, Sukkur and other cities, he said.

Earlier, the PPP leader visited Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto and offered fateha on Bhuttos’ graves.

He also visited the residence of DSP Abdul Malik Bhutto, who embraced martyrdom during an operation against dacoits in Ghotki.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2022