GUJRAT: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has urged PTI workers not to “waste” their votes on independent candidates and instead opt for his party’s candidates on February 8, the day of general elections.

Addressing a public gathering in Mungowal town of Gujrat district on Thursday, the PPP chairman once again requested both PTI and PML-N supporters to vote for his party if they wanted to “uphold sanctity of the vote”.

He said if PTI supporters wished to stop Nawaz Sharif from becoming the prime minister for a fourth time, they could either waste their vote by opting for independent candidates, “which amounts to supporting the PML-N” or “strategically use their right to vote”.

“They [PTI supporters] should consider this a contest between two parties, and to stop the lion in its path, they should stamp the arrow of PPP,” he said while referring to the electoral symbols of PML-N and PPP.

Seeks support to stop Nawaz from forming govt

He then turned to PML-N supporters and sought their votes for the sake of democracy.

According to Mr Bhutto-Zardari, PML-N workers who faced the ex-dictator Gen Musharraf and talked about sanctity of the vote saw their party “shun its narrative”.

“If the PML-N workers want democracy and sanctity of the vote to prevail, they should stamp the symbol of the arrow.”

Continuing with his criticism of Mr Sharif-led party, he said PML-N does not even have a manifesto yet.

“It is still being prepared, and they cannot even tell the people how they will serve them after coming to power for a fourth time.”

In another jibe at his rivals, he said: “There was a reason behind the lion not going out to hunt, but demanding someone else to hunt on its behalf.”

“They [PML-N leaders] are so confident that they do not even feel the need to campaign.”

Contrasting this with his party’s campaign, he claimed only the PPP is serious about the elections, and only “his jiyalaas are running election campaigns”.

“Those who used to say that PPP is not present in Punjab and is not contesting have nothing to say about the party these days,” he said, adding that PPP has held conventions and gatherings all over the country.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2024