ISLAMABAD:
In a move that may further complicate the PML-N led federal government’s challenges, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced on Wednesday that his party would not cooperate with the government on legislation unless there was consensus.
“If the government can legislate without the PPP, then let it do so,” Bilawal said while talking to the media after a meeting with opposition leaders in the Parliament House.
The PPP chief said his party would not accept decisions imposed through force or a simple show, adding that nothing would happen without consensus.
Bilawal said the government could not simultaneously claim that it did not need the PPP in parliament and complain that the party was obstructing its legislative agenda. “If the government believes it does not need the PPP in parliament, we accept that reality,” he said.
He alleged that the PML-N portrayed the PPP as an obstacle while seeking its votes and support for important laws, constitutional amendments and difficult legislation.
He said the PPP had presented its concerns, offered alternative proposals and even offered cooperation in the national interest, but the government had neither listened to the party nor given due importance to its objections.
According to Bilawal, PPP parliamentarians could not be instructed to participate in measures to which the party had principled objections. “If the government thinks it can get everything done without consultation, then it should first convince the president,” he said.
He stressed that legislation should be based on dialogue, consensus and respect for constitutional limits rather than force or numerical strength. “Laws made through force neither enhance Parliament’s dignity nor increase public confidence,” he said.
Bilawal said the PPP had always respected parliament and regarded it as the primary forum for addressing public problems and making better laws.
He said parliament could not function effectively unless its committees worked and all political parties sat together to resolve differences. He urged opposition parties that had boycotted parliamentary committees to reconsider their decision and return to the legislative process.
“The parliament is not the property of any one party. It is the forum of 240 million people,” he said, adding that issues such as inflation, unemployment and other national problems could be addressed through parliament.
Position on new provinces
Bilawal said the PPP’s position on the creation of new provinces had always been based on constitutional principles, democracy and the aspirations of the people. He said no new province could be created unless there was clear consensus among the people of the relevant area.
“No administrative or political decision can be imposed on any region by force,” he said.
Regarding Gilgit-Baltistan, he said its people had a longstanding and legitimate demand for complete constitutional rights and representation in Pakistan and the PPP fully supported it.
On southern Punjab, he said the relevant provincial assembly had already passed a resolution in favour of the proposal and there was no logical reason for the federal government to oppose it as long as elected representatives of the region supported it.
“If I respect the resolutions of the Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and other provincial assemblies, how can I ignore the resolutions of the Sindh Assembly?” he asked.
He said that during the PPP government from 2008 to 2013, the representation, autonomy and rights of all provinces were respected as a symbol of the federation.
The agenda for new provinces, he stressed, should serve public welfare rather than political interests, and decisions should be taken through parliament, the relevant provincial assemblies and consultation with the people.
Electoral reforms
The PPP chairman said his party had always supported transparent, impartial and public-oriented elections and had played a constructive role in electoral reforms.
He said the current situation, in which both opposition and government figures were raising questions over the electoral process, including members of the federal government questioning the transparency of elections, showed that public confidence in the system was weakening.
“If there are flaws in the electoral process, the solution is not a boycott or protest but Parliament,” he said. He called for electoral reforms through consensus, saying Parliament should be used to strengthen the Election Commission, improve electoral laws and ensure respect for vote.
“We do not want a situation where a party celebrates its victory but cries foul over rigging when it loses,” he said, adding that the PPP is a democratic party which accepts both victories and defeats.
AJK elections
He strongly criticised the federal government over the recent Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, saying the polls had been made controversial despite their importance to the Kashmir cause.
He said the elections were held only about a year after Indian attacks in which several Kashmiris were killed and should therefore have been acceptable to all political parties and free of controversy so that Pakistan could effectively present the Kashmir cause before the international community.
Instead, he alleged, the federal government had compromised the process for its own political interests. Bilawal alleged that the PPP’s reserved seats had been systematically “stolen” and that armed attacks were carried out against peaceful party workers in Bhimber and Mirpur.
He said one PPP worker was killed, a PPP member of the National Assembly was directly fired upon and the AJK president was also attacked.
He alleged that the federal government’s entire administrative and political machinery had remained active in AJK during the election period and that the six-phase electoral process consequently failed to meet the required standards of transparency.
The PPP, he said, had raised its objections before the Election Commission, Parliament and other constitutional forums, but the PML-N had ignored its concerns and failed to hold serious dialogue after the elections.
AJK unrest
He said AJK needed a policy of “truth and reconciliation” and that national stability required an end to political victimisation and confrontation in favour of constitutional supremacy and the rule of law.
He said no individual or group should be allowed to take the law into its own hands and called for impartial and transparent investigations into past incidents so that those responsible could be brought to justice.
At the same time, he said, innocent citizens should not be unnecessarily harassed or punished.
He also criticised the suspension of internet and mobile phone services in AJK, saying it was severely affecting young people, students, freelancers, the IT sector and small businesses.
“Digital economy and online education cannot be paralysed in this manner in the national interest,” he said, urging the government to clarify its policy immediately.
Security concerns
Referring to Pakistan’s security situation, He said when he served as foreign minister, he had consistently conveyed at international forums that Pakistan is a peace-loving country committed to regional stability and cooperation. He said Pakistan has made heavy sacrifices in the war against terrorism and remained committed to combating the menace.
He expressed concern over what he described as a “dangerous nexus” among the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Sindhi nationalist groups and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), alleging that their bases were in Afghanistan and that they were involved in coordinated planning for terrorist attacks in Karachi and other major cities.
He said the trend posed a threat to Pakistan’s security as well as regional peace and called for a coordinated diplomatic and security strategy to disrupt what he described as externally backed terrorism.
He further alleged that forces including Israel and India were seeking to create instability in Pakistan through plans such as “Operation Sindoor”. He said Pakistan needed national unity, a stronger foreign policy and internal political stability to counter such efforts.
