MULTAN: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says the issues relating to Afghanistan and attacks on the staff working on the projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should be discussed in parliament.

Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, the PPP chairman reiterated that Imran Khan’s government had isolated Pakistan in the world. He said the government was in a fix over the Afghan issue.

“The government should bring all the important issues, including the Afghan situation, to parliament. The action plan against terrorism and extremism should be brought out from cold storage,” he said.

He said those who had announced that they would establish a separate province within 100 days had failed to establish it even after three years.

He said the PPP was the only party which comes into power with the support of the masses.

“We are hiding our cards right now. There will be a jiyala prime minister and a jiyala chief minister after the next election,” he said.

“People welcomed me in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lodhran and Vehari for which I am thankful to them. Only the PPP is doing the politics of opposition and has broken political stagnation. We will show our cards at the time of election,” he said.

He said that even the allies of the PTI government were expressing their concerns over the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority.

“Parvaiz Elahi expressed his concern over the proposed authority. Imran Khan should realise that his allies have concerns over it,” he said.

He said there was an obvious difference between the policies of the PPP and other political parties.

“The PPP makes its economic policies for common Pakistanis while the remaining parties make their policies for the rich. Whenever the PPP comes into power, it provide jobs to the people besides initiating the schemes such as Benazir Income Support Program,” he said.

Earlier, the PPP chairman told another delegation of media persons that the PPP had concerns regarding Afghanistan situation.

“Pakistan’s first priority in connection with Afghanistan should be the protection of the rights of women, children, minorities and other segments of society,” he said. He said the attacks were being carried out on the staff working on the CPEC over which China had expressed its concerns publicly.

Meanwhile, JUI-F Dera Ghazi Khan leader Muhammad Javed Khan Somro, Malik Muhammad Jamil Punnu of PML-N, Muzaffargarh District Council Vice Chairman Malik Abid Mahmood and Muhammad Sajid Deena, a councillor from Jatoi, met the PPP chairman and announced joining the party.

Bilawal condoled the death of former Peoples Labour Bureau Punjab president Malik Bashir Ahmad.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2021