Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced on Sunday that PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari would be the party’s nominee for the president’s office.
Addressing a rally in Thatta as part of the celebrations to mark his party’s victory in the February 8 general elections in Sindh, Bilawal said that his father, Asif Ali Zardari, would save the federation and defuse the political tension in the country after assuming the charge.
Urging all political parties to give preference to people’s interests over their personal interests, the PPP leader said no power could harm democracy and the federation if they work jointly.
Bilawal said “it is the time to save the country”. The political parties should lodge their complaints about rigging with the relevant forum, he added.
Talking about the numbers, the PPP chairman said it was not his right to present himself as a candidate for the prime minister’s office. “We neither want the prime minister’s chair [slot] nor any ministry. We just want people’s problems to be solved.”
He said he would give a call for a protest if democracy or federation is in danger. He asked his party supporters to take to the streets on his call, in the same way they came out during the era of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his assassinated mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The PPP chairman said they would lodge their complaints about vote rigging in the February 8 elections with the appropriate legal forum. If the relevant forum fails to provide them justice then they would stage protests along with the masses, he warned. The former foreign minister, however, clarified that he is not in favour of protest as if he too starts street protests it will harm the country and the federation.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) provisional results (Form 47), the PPP secured 54 National Assembly (NA) seats and bagged 84 seats in Sindh, 11 in Balochistan, 10 in Punjab and four in Khybar Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
In return for votes for the prime minister’s slot, the PPP would seek rights for the flood affected people of Sindh and Balochistan, Bilawal said.
Sharing details of negotiations with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) regarding formation of the new government, the PPP chief said the PML-N wanted first three years for its prime ministerial candidate and offered him last two years of the five-year term, but he rejected the offer.
“I rejected [offer] and said that the people of Pakistan will make me the prime minister.” The PPP leader said that he would become people’s voice in the National Assembly.
