Without PPP and ANP, PDM is no democratic movement: Bilawal

• Bilawal says PDM not a democratic movement without PPP, ANP.
• Tells PDM PPP has no plans of coming back, so they can keep the talk of not inviting the party back to their own selves.
• Says if PDM wanted to follow PPP all along in avoiding resignations and instead contesting elections, it "might as well join PPP".

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said that the Opposition's Pakistan Democratic Movement is "no democratic movement without the PPP and ANP".

Speaking at a media briefing in Mardan, the PPP chairman said that for the past one year, the Opposition alliance had been "crying assembly resignations".

"Why don't you resign then?" he asked, going on to add: "You are not resigning and wish to contest the elections as well."

He said that if the PDM wishes to follow PPP's stance in the matter, they "might as well join PPP".

The PPP chairman also spoke about the party's future plans with regard to the alliance. He said that neither does the party wish to rejoin the alliance, nor has it turned in a request for the same.

"We tore up your show cause notices. Why are you saying again and again that you will not take us back?" he asked the PDM leadership.

"We do not wish to come back. Thank you very much," he added.

The PPP chairman, however, clarified that PDM is a political alliance, and although there may be political differences, "we are one in the parliament".

"We have given the Leader of the Opposition the authority to make decisions on behalf of all of us," he said.

Bilawal said that he had been telling these "revolutionaries" that had they turned in their resignations from the assemblies, they would have left the field wide open for PTI.

"We will not make the mistake of boycotting the Azad Kashmir elections," he said.

He went on to accuse the government of wanting to influence the Azad Kashmir elections. "The government has tampered with the electoral list of Azad Kashmir," Bilawal said.

Bilawal said that over the course of Pakistani's history PPP had stood up against three dictators.

"One dictator who threatened our supporters is out on exile today while our supporters are still living in their homeland," the PPP chairman said.

"Our workers are not afraid of the 'selected', NAB, etc.," he said.

He condemned the arrest of Khursheed Shah's son Farrukh Shah by the anti-graft watchdog and warned them of a tough response.

Speaking of his party's struggle for the people throughout its history, he said that the PPP "believes in solving people's problems".

"The real face of Imran Khan's promised 'change' is inflation," Bilawal said, demanding that the government, in the proposed budget for the coming financial year, increase salaries commensurate with the rise in inflation.

Responding Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry's remarks whereby he said the Supreme Court should ensure the implementation of Article 140-A in Sindh, Bilawal said: "Fawad Chaudhry and the government should refrain from dragging the Supreme Court into politics."