LARKANA: Pakistan Peo­ples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that holding election early in only Punjab will not only set an undesirable precedent but will also cast an impact on federation and other provinces.

He viewed the idea of holding the Punjab assembly election first as ‘political conspiracy’ aimed at going for ‘One Unit’, and called for a solution, to the ongoing political and Constit­utional issues, that could be beneficial to the parliament, judiciary and federation. “We must ensure that no trauma is inflicted on parliament, judiciary and federation as a result of this tug of war,” he said.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari was speaking at an Eid Milan gathering of local leaders and activists from Naudero and Ratodero at Naudero House on Sunday.

He told them that while the PPP leadership was striving to find out a solution, certain conspirators were insisting on holding Punjab assembly election first which, according to him, would not only set an undesirable precedent but would also cast an impact on federation and other provinces as well.

Tells party men he will stop foreign tours once a solution to political issues is hammered out

He said PPP was struggling to save the country from a possible damage and help resolve political issues through negotiations and diplomacy. “The day we succeeded in hammering out a solution through talks and diplomacy, I shall be amongst you [people] leaving aside foreign tours,” he said.

The PPP chairman said his party would launch its campaign for “2023 elections” simultaneously in all provinces and people would enjoy the elections. “Today, the state and its economy are passing through a test,” he said, and added that PPP and its supporters would play their role in pull out the country from this situation.

“We are witnessing a division around us where people are the ultimate sufferers,” he said referring to the parliament-judiciary discontent, and observed that the house of elected representatives and higher judiciary were not accepting each other’s decisions.

He noted that the apex court had not accepted a bill even before it was adopted by the parliament; in this situation, the general public would occupy the back seat.

He stressed that all political parties as well as the national institutions should keep aside all their differences and focus on resolving the country’s economic issues. He warned that If the discontent persisted for long, it would ultimately multiply people’s economic problems.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said PPP was striving hard to persuade the coalition partners at the Centre to go for talks even with the opposition, if needed, and restrict the differences to elections. He said they should agree on holding the general elections on one day.

Regarding the unprecedented rains and floods last year, he said “still we are braving the trauma” because the entire world was facing economic crisis which, in turn, was casting an adverse impact on our country too.

Among those who attended the

Eid Millan gathering were Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, MPA Faryal Talpur, Senator Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Syed Khursheed Shah, Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, MPA Suhail Anwer Siyal and senior PPP leaders.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2023