Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stuck to his guns on the issue of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), asserting that the PPP is not answerable to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif or his daughter Maryam Nawaz.
“We are not answerable to Maryam or Mian Sahab. We are answerable to the PPP and the PPP’s workers and we think the real joy will be in doing politics together with the PPP’s workers,” he said while addressing a press conference in Falkara near Matli town of Badin district on Wednesday evening . “My stance remains unchanged,” he said after a reporter asked him about Maryam’s recent comments that the PPP had not responded to the show cause notice sent to it.The PPP chairman acknowledged that he had torn the show cause notice.
He said that Shehbaz Sharif is the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and the PML-N president, thus the PPP would consider only his stance and statements to be official PML-N policy and conduct its politics accordingly . He added that the PPP respects Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the two parties had had a ‘good relationship and contact’. Bilawal took a jibe at the PML-N leadership , who had formed government in 1991, and said that the ‘selected’ government of that time had imposed an ‘illegal’ water accord on the Sindh government.
“[Unlike the past] we will not tolerate anyone stealing water from Sindh,” he said, and added that water problems affect everyone and it is an issue that affects the future too and we don’t change our stance,” he further said. Bilawal responding to question about the water crisis in Badin district said that he had ordered the Sindh irrigation minister Suhail Anwar Siyal to look after the water distribution adding he assured that he would not take any time to remove Mr Siyal if he failed to ensure just and judicious water distribution in the irrigation canals of the district . Bilawal said that the Sindh government had undertaken a number of the mega projects to provide the canal water to farmers and growers of the province. The PPP chief said even if a representative of Sindh spoke in the meeting of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) he was attacked.
“When we talk about the rights of Sindh and Balochistan, the federation launches a campaign against us.”Mr Bhutto-Zardari pointed out that the Sindh government had completed plans to pave canals and ditches to ensure water supply to the end of irrigation canals and more than Rs7 billion was allocated for Badin district alone during the current financial year.He hoped that the funds would solve the problems of the lining of canals and Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD). He added that water theft in Sindh would not be tolerated.“Instead of opposing the PPP, our friends in the opposition should target the government,” he http://added.In response to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s concern about the worsening law and order situation in Sindh, Bilawal said that the law and order situation in Sindh has improved, a move which has been made possible with the help of police.
“Sindh police have the full potential to restore peace in the province,” he said. “The interior minister [Sheikh Rasheed] is ready to give a lecture about another province but is not ready to protect journalists in Islamabad,” Bilawal Bhutto said that the formation of PDM is based on the vision of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “Maulana Fazlur Rehman should tell us who is benefitting from the criticism of PPP which is the leading party in the PDM?” he asked. Bukhari said that on one hand, Shehbaz Sharif invites the PPP to dinner and on the other hand, his party’s second-tier leadership hurls accusations at the same party. He said that the PPP is right to think that the people using the name of PDM are escaping from the plan devised to get rid of the incumbent regime and are also avoiding taking part in the elections.
The PPP chairman also offered condolences with MPA elect from Matli Dada Mohammad Halepoto and Shehzad Halepoto over the death of late PPP MPA Bashir Ahmed Halepoto. ” I hope that Dada Halepoto will carry on the legacy of late Bashir Ahmed and will serve the people of Badin district selflessly like Bashir Ahmed” he added and lauded the services of late PPP MPA. Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Mohammad Ismail Rahu, Suhail Anwar Siyal, Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, Ms Tanzila Qambrani, Arbab Lutufallah,Taj Mohammad Mallah, Haji Saien Bux Jamali, Haji Ramazan Chandio and other PPP lawmakers and leaders were accompanying him during his visit to Matli.
