Imran did nothing except telling lies and taking U-turns: Bilawal

BANNU: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Saturday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) did nothing for the people of the province in its nearly five-year rule ‘except making tall claims and telling lies’. “Imran has only taken U-turns and told lies over the course of his political career. If a competition of liars takes place, Imran would win the crown of world’s biggest liar,” he told a public rally in Bannu.”Whenever PTI chief goes to other provinces, he makes fake claims that corruption has been rooted out from the province;that no single children of KP is out of school; that their existsa perfect health system and the employment opportunities have surpassed the jobless youth. This all is nothing but a pack of lies,” he added. The PPP chief alleged that PTI government has not established even a single university in KP during last five years since Imran Khan gave away Rs 570 million from the education budget to religious seminaries. On the other hand, PPP established 57 medical and engineering universities and colleges in Sindh, he added.”You know Imran Khan didn’t build even a single hospital in KP during the last five years.Whereas, I have inaugurated five big hospitals in Sindh during last eight months,” he added. The PPP chief said that PTI government has abandoned IDPs and around 20,000 families are still spending lives under open sky away from their homes. Shifting the guns at Nawaz Sharif, he said that the PML-N leader who calls others puppetsis now trying to find his puppeteer. Bilawal also criticised JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for opposing the merger of KP and FATA.”What enmity do you have with the people of FATA, Maulana Sahib?” he asked. The PPP chief said that peace in Pakistan could not be established till the time Taliban are continued to be considered ‘estranged brothers’. “Be it Musharraf or ordinary terrorists, [accused persons] should be first arrested and then legal proceedings should be taken up against them,” he said.”Terrorism cannot be curbed if people go missing and target killing is rampant,” he said. “Terrorism is neither an issue linked to Naqeebullah Mehsud’s murder nor the case of a target killer … it is the problem of the entire country.” “Terrorism can only be defeated when there is complete rule of law and human rights are respected.We need a judiciary which is able to provide justice, a police people can trust in and institutions who implement the law,” he said. Highlighting his party’s ties with KP, Bilawal said that PPP has had a long-standing relation with the province. He said that it was PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who had announced to abolish the FCRfrom Malakand Division during his speech there. Speaking about war against terrorism, Bilawal said it was his party that brought together the entire parliament and people for the sake of sustainable peace in Swat that was taken over by terrorists soon after Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom.To prevent extremism, he said, “We have to bring changes in curriculum, ensure social justice for economic opportunities, promote harmony, tolerance and finally restrict activities of the banned organisations.” “PPP understands that terrorism cannot be eliminated through force alone. We have always said that terrorism emanates from extremism and it is a disease which spreads during the dictatorial regimes. Terrorism cannot end until extremism is checked,” he said, and added, “We should listen to the Pakhtun youth who are raising voice for their constitutional rights in a democratic way.” Referring to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification following the July 28 verdict of the Supreme Court, Bilawal stressed that the public was not concerned about why political leaders were disqualified from the public offices.”The people just want their problems to be solved. They want roti (food), kapra (clothing), and makan (shelter),” he said. Published in Daily Times, March 25th 2018.