Bilawal Bhutto says he was not in favour of banning PTI despite the party attacking state facilities

KARACHI, May 11 (SABAH): Foreign Minister and Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said that he was not in favour of banning the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) despite the party attacking state facilities, adding that he would be the “last person” to endorse such a move.

Speaking at a press conference, the foreign minister — flanked by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and provincial information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon — said: “I am not in favour of banning anyone. We must adopt a completely constitutional and legal procedures to ban PTI.” However, he added that declaring PTI a proscribed outfit was the last resort.

While responding to a question on whether he considered banning PTI, the foreign minister responded: “A decision cannot be taken on television based on the video evidence that has come out so far.”

Moreover, Bilawal Bhutto called for PTI workers to end their violent protests, adding that the party had done “what it had to do”. “PTI should not cause more harm,” he said. “They should declare an end to violent protests and face the cases against them.”

Bialwal Bhutto also expressed a desire to have an outcome that would create political stability in the country.

Earlier during the conference the PPP leader said that May 9 — the day when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) — was “another Black Day” in the history the country.

“The history of Pakistan several days are marked as the ‘Black Days’ and now May 9 has been added to the list.”

“We [PPP] never celebrate when a political leader is arrested because we believe that when political leaders are arrested it is the loss of the politics at large,” he said, reiterating that in such scenarios the PPP has never celebrated nor distributed sweets.

He added that his party had always been “against” the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from the get-go; whereas PTI had always defended the anti-graft body and benefited from it.

“Khan sb initiated a campaign to save NAB; when we demanded amendments he said that we are seeking NRO and didn’t agree on the proposed amendments,” he said, adding that now when the new laws were introduced it is the PTI chief who has become its beneficiary.

Bilawal Bhutto said that his party does not celebrate the arrest of any politician or distribute sweets. What has happened in the last couple of days is a dark moment in history.

The PPP chief said his party was always against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and ideologically believed it should be shut down. “But the PTI kept defending the NAB for as long as PPP opposed it,” he stressed.

From 2008-13, Bilawal said, it was part of the Charter of Democracy to shut down the NAB, but Imran Khan started a ‘save-NAB’ campaign.

“When Nawaz Sharif came to power, we asked them again as opposition and adopted the stance that the NAB law should be amended and reformed, but to no avail,” he lamented.

Today, he said, all the allied parties in the government have the same stance that NAB should be shut down. “And when we reformed the NAB law and made amendments, Imran Khan was the first beneficiary,” he commented. The foreign minister remarked that the allegations against Imran Khan are severe.

“When the UK’s National Crime Agency wanted to return Pakistan’s 190 million pounds, the then prime minister Imran Khan abused his office, deceived the cabinet and in a sealed envelope, got it approved from the cabinet to store the amount elsewhere,” Bilawal Bhutto claimed.

He then went on to challenge the then cabinet members to reject this claim that they did not approve any such thing.

“The cabinet gave it to Malik Riaz to repay his fine to the Supreme Court. The allegations are severe,” he insisted.

Imran Khan was arrested in accordance with the law and the Constitution in corruption cases. He claimed that all the violence perpetrated after the arrest was pre-planned and they respond with guns, stones and weapons.

“There are very few such examples in history. First, the TTP attacked the GHQ and then PTI. After the BLA vandalized Jinnah House in Balochistan, the PTI ransacked Jinnah House in Lahore,” he asserted.

Throughout Pakistan’s history, no political party has responded to a 14-day remand with terrorism, Bilawal Bhutto maintained.

He added that when the PPP founder was hanged the party did not attack any property or when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, the PPP responded politically and democratically.

“I have said it before that the PTI are political terrorists. For their role in the last few days, they have to be answerable. Whoever is involved in these crimes will have to be accountable,” he stressed.

Bilawal asserted that now that the PTI has crossed a ‘red line’, it is the responsibility of state and the institutions to implement the law and Constitution so next time no political part, group or organisation breaks the law.

Bilawal Bhutto condemned the attack on the building of Radio Pakistan in Peshawar. He said that all the political stakeholders will have to be work within the ambit of democracy in the larger interest of the country.