Bilawal Bhutto criticises Nawaz Sharif's 'respect the vote' slogan

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari questioned on Sunday former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's slogan of 'respecting the vote'. 

Nawaz, who was disqualified as premier and head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz by the Supreme Court in separate cases, has been raising the slogan of respecting the vote. 

Addressing party supporters in Kotli Sattian, the PPP chairman recalled the relationship of the tehsil with the party. 

"Nawaz thinks democracy linked to him only," he said, terming the former prime minister Gen (retd) Ziaul Haq's "opening batsmen".

In an apparent jibe at Nawaz's daughter Maryam, Bilawal said: "look now, we have stopped you". 

Referring to Nawaz's recent tirade against the opposition parties, Bilawal said the PML-N leader, and not the PPP leader, is the biggest wound up toy, whose key is broken at present.

The PPP chief also questioned the democratic credentials of Nawaz, reminding him of his role in various incidents, including anti-PPP moves in the past such as supporting former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's ouster by the Supreme Court.

Talking about Nawaz's post-disqualification slogan of 'respect the vote', Bilawal said he who failed to respect Parliament during his tenure as prime minister now seeks respect for the vote. 

The PPP leader also criticised the federal government's plans to privatise state-run Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills.

'Good corrupt', 'bad corrupt' politicians

Turning his guns towards the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bilawal criticised the provincial government's plan to build a metro bus in Peshawar after criticising similar projects by the Punjab government. 

Imran has introduced the terms 'good corrupt' and 'bad corrupt' in our politics, said Bilawal, referring to the PTI chairman. 

The PPP leader claimed all of the PTI's promises of 'change', its election slogan five years ago, could not materialise and turned out to be hollow promises.  

Senior party leaders, including former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former Senate chairman Nayyar Hussain Bukhary and former MNA Mehreen Raja, are also on stage.

The senior party leaders addressed workers before Bilawal took the podium. 

The PPP leader has been holding several rallies and addressing workers and supporters across the country as part of the party's recently-launched membership campaign. 

Other political parties have also launched similar public mobilisation drives ahead of the general elections, expected sometime in July.