Bilawal Bhutto Backs Emergency in KP, Urges PM Shehbaz to Invite PTI for Talks
ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has supported the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to invite Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for another round of negotiations to jointly combat terrorism.
Addressing a session of the National Assembly, Bilawal said President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the emergency in accordance with the Constitution.
He said PTI leaders were criticising the president and the PPP but had failed to provide a convincing reason why an emergency should not have been imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Bilawal maintained that the government had made every possible effort to engage the opposition before taking the decision. He stressed that imposing an emergency was never a matter of celebration and said negotiations had been given an opportunity before the measure was approved.
He revealed that he had been informed on the night of the negotiations that the talks had succeeded. Two PPP representatives were also part of the negotiating committee, he added.
The PPP chairman accused the PTI-led provincial government of taking what he described as a “political suicide” step, arguing that the opposition also needed to acknowledge its role in the prevailing political and legal situation.
Bilawal said the federal government had imposed the emergency under difficult circumstances and insisted that it was not intended to remain in place permanently.
Emphasising the need for national unity, he said no individual or institution could defeat terrorism alone and called on all political parties to work together to address the security challenges facing the country.
Commenting on regional tensions, Bilawal claimed that India was supporting terrorism in Pakistan through separatist elements. He also referred to India’s Operation Sindoor and alleged that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued to promote the operation publicly.
The PPP chairman urged the federal government to find a middle ground to resolve the political dispute, reiterating his party’s willingness to extend a hand to the opposition.
“We extend our hand to the opposition. Come forward and engage in dialogue,” he said, calling for renewed negotiations to strengthen political stability and develop a united response to terrorism.
Clarify the emergency approval timelineSeparate claims from confirmed facts
