Renounce political extremism and 'return' to democratic fold, Bilawal tells PTI

• Bilawal seeks electoral reforms that everyone trusts.
• He says president should bridge political divide.
• PPP chief dismisses talks of 28th amendment.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday urged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to renounce political extremism and rejoin democratic politics, warning that attacks on state institutions over leaders’ arrests invite consequences.

"You attacked our state institutions just because of a meagre NAB case against your leader [PTI founder Imran Khan], then don’t complain,” Bilawal said while speaking to the media in Larkana.

"Do away with political extremism and return to the democratic fold. This will be better not only for their party but their workers as well,” he added.

The PPP chief, who has served as the foreign minister and whose party is an ally of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has repeatedly urged PTI to shun its hardliner stance and show responsible political behaviour.

While there were talks of imposing a ban on the Khan-founded party recently, Bilawal maintained that he was against such ideas.

In his media talk today, he said political parties must find political solutions for the survival of democracy, adding that if a party resorts to extremist politics, it should not complain about a strict response.

Bilawal said it was “written on the wall” that elections were not happening anytime soon, stressing that electoral reforms were necessary before new polls. “We should try to bring such electoral reforms that everyone can trust,” he added.

He also said that, given the prevailing circumstances, President Asif Ali Zardari would have to play a role in bringing all political parties to a single point. Bilawal dismissed reports about a 28th constitutional amendment, saying such discussions were limited to the media.

In his address to a gathering a day earlier, he had also mentioned the need for reconciliation to steer the country out of political and economic crises, saying President Zardari is the only leader capable of bringing an end to political polarisation in the country.

He had also pointed out that political polarisation was damaging democracy, the economy, and national security. "If Pakistan is to be pulled out of the political crisis, it will automatically help the country emerge from the economic crisis as well," he said.

Commenting on the economy today, the PPP chairman said the country’s real economic condition could be judged by asking ordinary citizens about their financial situation. “If the federal government wants to tackle the economic crisis, it should consider public-private partnerships,” he said.