KURRAM: Chairman of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday said Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted every state institution, including the Pakistan Army, to function like the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Tiger Force.

“[PM] Imran Khan keenly desires that state institutions from the Pakistan Army to Inter-Services Intelligence to police to others are run like the Tiger Force and are turned controversial but he will not be allowed to do so,” the PPP leader told a large public meeting in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram tribal district.

Mr Bilawal said the prime minister insisted that only an animal could act neutrally.

“He [Imran] is an animal himself, who wants the jungle’s rule in the country. The PPP won’t let him do it,” he said.

The PPP chairman flayed the prime minister for calling rival politicians ‘boot polishers’ and said Imran Khan was a ‘bootlicker’, who entered politics and moved on with the help of some army generals.

Claims Imran has lost majority in National Assembly

He said the prime minister would be held responsible for depriving poor women of the government’s financial assistance by discontinuing the Benazir Income Support Programme.

“Imran Khan will be held accountable for every crime he committed against the people,” he said.

Mr Bilawal said after the PTI’s government was removed and free and fair elections were held, the PPP would come to power and establish the Parachinar Medical College as promised by former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

He said his party would set up another degree college in the area.

“The Quaid-i-Awam Parachinar Medical College project was shelved by military ruler General Ziaul Haq. We will revive it. We will fulfil all promises made by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto,” he said.

The PPP leader said his was the party of martyrs.

“We are the heirs of shaheeds, who sacrificed lives for the country. We will never yield to terrorists,” he said.

Mr Bilawal accused PM Imran of secretly holding parleys with terrorists to bring them to table. “How could he talk to terrorists? We will not allow him to do this. These terrorists are the killers of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, the APS children, our brave soldiers, our valiant policemen, and thousands of innocent men, women and children,” he said.

The PPP chairman said the prime minister was a puppet and that he talked about Riasat-i-Madina but used foul language in the same breath.

He said the ‘Riasat-i-Madina card’ won’t work anymore.

Criticising the policies of the PTI government, he said poor people were working hard but didn’t get due payments for their labour.

“Imran told lies to the youth. All his promises, including those about 10 million jobs and five million houses, were false. He used to say that he will not approach the International Monetary Fund and will prefer committing suicide to doing so, but he struck a deal with the IMF to the misery of the poor,” he said.

Mr Bilawal said the people paid a heavy price for PM Imran’s inability and incapacity to rule the country and that his economic policies were for the country’s destruction and not for socio-economic change.

“Now, the time has come to get rid of this puppet prime minister, who gave relief to the rich and troubled the poor,” he said.

The PPP chairman said the PTI government’s economic policies caused record price hike, unemployment and abject poverty.

He said his party was a party of the common man, labourers, growers, youth, students, women and children and that it worked hard for them.

Mr Bilawal said the entire opposition was on one page against the PTI government. “The opposition tabled the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan, who is running away from voting on it,” he said.

The PPP chairman said the prime minister had already lost on the no-trust front, didn’t want the rule of law in the country, and was playing with democracy.

“After the opposition’s struggle, the selectors felt that they should have not imposed this puppet on the country. If they now think that it is not their job to select a prime minister, then this is a welcome decision,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2022