• Demands investigation of alleged ‘illegal’ acts by Imran, others
• Session continues for three hours without quorum

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday called for stopping Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan from creating political instability and warned that the country could have “bloody elections” if all the political parties did not agree on a minimal code of conduct.

“The polarisation that is being seen in the country [...] if all political parties don’t agree on a basic code of conduct before the next elections, then our next election will be bloody,” said Mr Bhutto-Zardari while delivering a fiery speech in the National Assembly soon after the house unanimously adopted a resolution urging the world to ensure accountability of India’s grave and persistent violations of human rights and war crimes in India-held Kashmir.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said Mr Khan had attacked all institutions, including judiciary.

“We have to stop this. The court and the parliament have to play their role,” he said.

Parliamentary probe

Demanding formation of a parliamentary commission to investigate the illegal and unconstitutional acts committed by former prime minister Imran Khan and other PTI members after presentation of a no-confidence motion against him in March, the minister said that he had received a threat that martial law could be imposed in the country, if the then opposition did not agree on early elections.

“I would like to share with this house that the night before the no-confidence motion (was passed against Imran Khan), I was sent a message with a threat that either we accept early elections or face martial law,” he said, adding that the threat was conveyed to him by a government minister through a PPP member.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari accused the PTI leadership of still following the same agenda and it either wanted general elections without necessary reforms or wished to create a situation that paved the way for the third force to take over.

“We should all make efforts to foil this plot. We will all have to come together and work hard to foil this conspiracy and save the country,” the PPP chairman said while declaring categorically that the present government would hold elections only after carrying out electoral reforms.

Stating that he was speaking in his capacity as the PPP chairman, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that there was an agreement with the PML-N that they would implement the remaining points of the Charter of Democracy (CoD). Besides this, he said, there was a need to have a similar type of new CoD which should be signed by all political parties of the country. However, he said, since it would be a lengthy process, therefore, all political parties should at the very least agree on a “minimal code of conduct”.

The PPP chairman lashed out at Mr Khan for making all state institutions of the country controversial. He regretted that instead of facing the vote of no confidence in a democratic way, Mr Khan committed violation of the Constitution.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that Mr Khan had started believing himself to be “sacred cow” as no action had been taken against him by any institution so far for his repeated unconstitutional acts.

“He (Mr Khan) is visiting various parts of the country and presenting himself as a sacred cow, and doing things that are against our national interests, our Constitution and our international standing,” the PPP leader said.

He criticised policies of the previous PTI government and said that the former prime minister and former first lady had made billions of rupees over the past four years.

“Someone should ask the former prime minister, how there was such an increase in the wealth of the former first lady and her friend. How did the former PM’s own assets enormously increase over the past four years?” he said.

No quorum

Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and his deputy Zahid Durrani once again allowed the members to deliver speeches on points of order, instead of taking up the agenda. Besides highlighting problems of their constituencies, the members in their speeches talked about water shortage, price-hike, foreign policy and load-shedding.

Dr Fehmida Mirza of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) once again asked the speaker to nominate the opposition leader at the earliest. She said that the GDA was the true opposition in the house and PTI dissidents were playing the role of a friendly opposition.

Dr Mirza and Sabir Qaimkhani of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) separately staged a walkout from the house when the chair did not give them the floor.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2022