Bilawal says he has never used a gun but knows how to use it


ISLAMABAD, Mar 10 (SABAH): Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday took exception to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remark about having Asif Ali Zardari on his target, saying these “threats” will not be tolerated anymore.

“We will not tolerate this anymore; I am here now,” Bilawal Bhutto said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. Bilawal Bhutto said that threats of Prime Minister Imran Khan to former president and co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are unacceptable.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that his first target would be Asif Ali Zardari on whom his gun has been pointing at for a long time.

Bilawal Bhutto, while responding to statement of the premier, said that he has never used a gun but knows how to use it. Will respond to politics through politics but such threats are not acceptable, he stressed.

Talking about incident of a drone hitting Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, PPP Chairman demanded investigation of the attack by ISI and intelligence agencies and claimed the incident was an attempt to send a message to him and his father.

Bilawal Bhutto further said that Imran Khan is using more foul language as he could see his end coming.

The PPP chairman said that there have been two such incidents that are unbearable for him — referring to PM Imran Khan’s statement and drone incident with Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari. He said that his family and party have made many sacrifices for Pakistan, the restoration of democracy but they will not tolerate it anymore. “We consider the attack on Aseefa a message for us,” Bilawal alleged. He requested the ISI and other intelligence agencies to probe the matter as he doesn’t trust the government on this matter. He said the TV channel whose drone had hit Aseefa tendered an apology in writing, “but we will be in a better position to decide after our investigation is complete.”

Bilawal said that PM Imran Khan “threatening with life and death” was not a joke. “I am not a child anymore,” Bilawal said in reference to his young age at the time of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

He said that for those who think that we will get scared and step back, they don’t know that Zardari and Benazir’s blood flows in my veins. “What I will do to you will be remembered by your generations.”

We never used guns but we know how to use them,” Bilawal said, adding that he is a peaceful person and will remain the same. “However, we will respond in the same language if they keep pressurising us,” he said, referring to the prime minister’s “foul language”.

“Using foul language will not save PM Imran Khan’s seat but he would curse more when he sees position in danger.”

He accused the premier of taking funds from India and Israel, while also blaming PM Imran Khan for using the donations given to Shaukat Khanum Hospital for the PTI. “You used the donations from the cancer hospital to run your kitchen and your party […] you are a culprit; a United States court has convicted you,” he told the prime minister.

Bilawal also said that he never spoke against First Lady, but the reports that he got from the bureaucracy and other institutions suggested that no bureaucrat can be posted in Punjab without first giving “money” to the first lady. “We are told that your candidate for the chief minister [could not give enough money], but Buzdar invested in the right place — and this problem (Buzdar) is imposed on us till the day,” he said.

Bilawal said he was not Zardari, who “says that let his opponents lie as much as they want”, as due to their allegations, he would “go to paradise”.

“Should we still believe that you are meeting ends by selling your cricketing days’ toys […] Ohh, Imran! the cases that will be filed against you; you have no idea,” Bilawal warned the premier.

Bilawal asked the prime minister to pray and ask the first lady to pray that Zardari does not form government again. “We will request Shahbaz Sharif at the right time to appoint an interior minister.”

He went on to reprimand PM Imran Khan for using “foul langauge” against JUI-F and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. “Who are you to use such a language against him?”

Taking a jibe at Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed for his latest remarks, Bilawal said that he will request Shahbaz Sharif to appoint a good interior minister when he is elected in the next government.

Bilawal said neither Imran nor anyone else could “break” Zardari through allegations or misuse of power. “It was a plan that Zardari and Faryal Talpur be first put behind bars and it was also assumed that PPP would remain silent, but that did not happen.”

In response to a question, Bilawal said the role of the establishment could be assessed through history, adding that history tells us that our past is “not a good story”. “We cannot make our institutions controversial because of this one person. We cannot isolate Pakistan for him.”

Without naming any institution, the PPP chairperson said it was hoped that no one would make any undemocratic or unconstitutional attempt to save Imran. “This will become clear very soon,” he added.

When asked whether the PPP would accept PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry into the party once again as it did with Nadeem Afzal Chan, Bilawal responded: “The name you are mentioning is available in every market.”

He asked whether PM Imran thought people were fools to believe that his sister Aleema Khan earned her wealth with “sewing machines”. “You have no idea about the cases that are in the offing against you,” Bilawal warned the premier.

He invited the prime minister to act against the opposition today, “because you will have no such chance tomorrow”.

Earlier, he thanked the PPP supporters for joining the “Awami March” he led, saying that their participation has made the march historical.

“The people brought a no-confidence motion against the selected prime minister and proved that they stand by the democracy,” Bilawal said.

He said that PPP is going to make a democratic attack against the incumbent government which he termed “undemocratic”, and he hopes that the no-trust motion against the prime minister would be successful very soon.