With election campaigns picking up steam in the country, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said Pakistan would bury politics of “hatred and division” on February 8 while PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz said her party was prepared to work “round the clock” for the country’s development.

Addressing a rally in Naudero, Bilawal said, “Politics of hate and division are ruling Pakistan at the moment, the effects of which are being felt in every house.

“If this hatred and division and infighting continues, what will become of this country?” he wondered.

The former foreign minister reiterated that PPP was the only political party which worked for the poor, while other political parties worked for their own benefit.

“There is no concern for how much the common man is struggling. The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer,” Bilawal said, lamenting the high rates of poverty, inflation and unemployment in the country.

He said that while the PPP was creating employment for the people, other political parties were depriving them of it. He stressed that the PPP was fighting for the rights of the common man.

“If, on Feb 8, a fourth term is bestowed upon us, you all will bear the burden,” he said, referring to three-time premier Nawaz Sharif.

Meanwhile, Maryam said her party was prepared to work round the clock “to steer the country back onto the path of development” if voted to power in the upcoming general election.

Maryam, who kicked off the party’s election campaign a day earlier, made the remarks while addressing a rally in Lahore. She said that her party was poised to transform the destiny of both Lahore and the country.

Maryam expressed confidence that the PML-N would secure the support of the masses on Feb 8.

“When intruders took control of Lahore, the cycle of development came to a standstill at the point where the PML-N had left it,” she said. According to her, Lahore was neglected, with no authority to manage basic tasks such as garbage removal.

She called upon the people of Lahore to remove “intruders” from the city.