Bilawal calls for dialogue among political forces to steer country out of crisis

• PPP believes in political negotiations, says Bilawal. 
• PPP has the solution of the issues of the people, he says. 
• Centre, provinces implementing points of our manifesto: Bilawal 

LAHORE: With the country facing inflation, unemployment, poverty and terrorism, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday called for dialogues among the political forces to resolve the prevailing issues.

Addressing a seminar titled “Bhutto Reference and History” in Lahore, Bilawal said: “The people are troubled by price-hike, unemployment and poverty. In addition to these, terrorism is also an issue for the country and the people.”

“If politicians do not talk to each other, how these issues could be resolved.”

The PPP chairman said that President Asif Ali Zardari gave a message of reconciliation in his address to the joint Parliament but it was unfortunate that the people who do not want reconciliation raised hue and cry.

“This behaviour was not appropriate in the parliament,” he added.

The former foreign minister said that his party’s training was conducted by the former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

“Our character should match their training and we should represent those great leaders.”

Expressing his displeasure over the prevailing political culture in the country, the PPP chief said: “At the moment we have politics of hatred in our society. Politics has been changed to personal enmity. We in our society do not respect the difference of opinion.”

“Despite all this, the PPP always believes in political negotiations and reconciliation. The 1973 constitution was the result of consensus. The 18 Amendment in the Constitution was done with consensus at the time of Asif Ali Zardari as president. We did all this by taking all political forces in the parliament on board.”

Moving on to the top court’s verdict in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case, the PPP chairman said that the judicial verdict by the Supreme Court in Bhutto reference was the result of long and hard struggle of the workers of the party and 30 years long similar struggle of her mother Shaheed Benazir.

“This reference was sent to the Supreme Court by President Asif Ali Zardari to get justice for Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.”

He continued that the apex court heard the case and came to conclusion that justice was not done to Bhutto and the trial against him was not just.

“We consider this decision as historic and now when the court itself has admitted that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s punishment was wrong, we should carry out judicial reforms. The judiciary can also bring its own reforms but this is primarily the function of parliament.”

The former foreign minister said that they had agreed on judicial reforms in the charter of democracy (CoD). “The 90% CoD have been implemented but only 10% remain. We have to do these reforms including establishing a constitutional court and the procedure for appointment of judges.”

He stated that the PPP would try to bring these reforms so that the judiciary is strengthened and people are provided justice and injustice meted out to the PPP founder was not repeated.

Bilawal said that during the recent general elections, the PPP had an ideology, a manifesto and a campaign.

“The PPP has the solution of the issues of the people. Now after the elections, every government whether the federal government or the provincial governments are implementing the points of our manifesto.”

The PPP manifesto had given the idea of solar energy and now Punjab province was adopting that point of our manifesto and we should welcome this, he added.

“The PPP will show that we will play a positive role and we will solve people’s issues. This positive role and politics will take the country forward,” said the PPP leader.