From leadership to workers, all are bound by the decisions of the party: Bilawal Bhutto

HYDERABAD, Sep 10 (SABAH): Amid an ongoing “split” over the issue of timely polls with his father, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday said that from the leadership to the workers, all are bound by the decisions of the party.

“We will make collective decisions, carry everyone along and as you have never disappointed me, I will never disappoint you,” Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said while addressing the party workers in Hyderabad.

The delay in the general elections date laid bare the apparent simmering political differences within the PPP after Bilawal Bhutto asserted that his allegiance to his father and party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was solely limited to the confines of household, independent from political matters.

The Bhutto scion was reacting to a statement attributed to the former president who stated that “completing delimitation exercise was necessary before holding polls”.

Zardari maintained that the ECP is bound to redraw the boundaries of all constituencies after a fresh and updated census. “The ECP would conduct elections as per the Constitution, and my party has full confidence in the chief election commissioner and all ECP members,” he said.

Sticking to the demands of timely elections, Bilawal, however, made it clear that he held his ground when it came to politics, the Constitution, and party policy, putting him at odds with his father’s stance over elections.

Addressing party workers on Sunday, Bilawal said that if the general elections cannot be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9, then at least it should be told when the same are going to be held.

He said that the PPP workers are waiting for when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will release the schedule for the upcoming general elections, so that they can start the election campaign. “It is being said that it is not possible to hold elections in 90 days, but I think general elections can be held within 60 days,” he contended.

The chairman of the PPP expressed deep concern for the citizens of Pakistan, highlighting their growing anxieties amidst worsening economic conditions.

He emphasised that people are grappling with worries about sending their children to school, caring for their elderly family members, managing electricity bills, and coping with rising petrol expenses.

“People know that if they want to get out of these problems, they have to support PPP. PPP has a history that it has always served the people,” he pointed out.

Bilawal said that he is going to Lahore next week, where he will chair the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), adding that in the meeting, the future course of action for the party will be decided and the issue of election will be considered.

He reaffirmed his commitment to participating in the elections, asserting, “We are accustomed to facing challenges head-on, and we will not run from the elections. However, if some of our allies are considering running away from the elections, we will let them run because when you don’t contest elections, someone else takes your seat.”

Bilawal Bhutto revealed his attempts to convince the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to participate in local elections, stating, “I begged them not to give their place to PTI, but they withdrew out of fear. I’ve been telling all our coalition partners for the last 18 months that if you’re afraid, you will perish. Sadly, our political allies are now trembling with fear; perhaps they want run away from elections.”

Former foreign minister, while addressing the people of Hyderabad, said that they have always supported PPP. “You elected a jiyala (PPP worker) mayor for the first time in history, defeating the politics of fear, hatred and division.”

He further said that he wants to give the people of Hyderabad their right to jobs, ownership rights and right to governance, adding that if the public supports his party, it would solve their problems.