Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday urged the federal government to engage all stakeholders and set aside political differences, saying economic hardships required collective attention.
“The people of Pakistan are finding it difficult to live economically,” Bilawal said while addressing a groundbreaking ceremony for a 600-bed hospital in Larkana.
He said the government’s priority should be addressing the difficulties faced by the public rather than engaging in political confrontations.
“Every country’s first responsibility is to look after its people,” he said, adding that the biggest challenge was to protect the public from economic hardships.
“If we fight the PTI, Maulana [Fazlur Rehman], terrorists, India and Afghanistan, we will remain occupied with this work. When will we focus on economic development?” he asked.
The PPP chairman urged the federal government to engage all stakeholders instead of picking fights with everyone, stressing that political differences should be set aside to address economic challenges.
Turning to electoral reforms, Bilawal said the PTI should participate in the committee formed to discuss changes to the electoral process.
He urged opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate to ensure the PTI’s representation in the committee unconditionally, saying they had been given full authority by PTI founder Imran Khan to make the decision.
Bilawal said the PPP had approached opposition leaders and requested them to nominate representatives for the committee.
He noted that the opposition had repeatedly maintained that Khan should first be released or allowed to meet party leaders before engaging in other matters.
“Now that the PTI founder has given them full authority, opposition leaders should decide to ensure the party’s representation in the committee,” he said.
The PPP chairman said the PTI and some government representatives also raised allegations of electoral rigging, adding that the proposed committee could serve as a starting point if all sides believed elections were manipulated.
He said the alleged electoral manipulation had been aimed at preventing the PPP from succeeding, adding that his party had consistently worked towards electoral reforms in every era.
Separately, Bilawal described his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as positive, saying both sides had worked together to formulate a strategy.
He said the federal government’s budgets had been approved with the PPP’s support and that the Centre was now extending assistance for development projects.
However, he pointed out that Balochistan had complaints about not receiving federal projects. He also said he had suggested that the prime minister convene cabinet meetings in the provinces.
Healthcare facilities
Speaking about the new hospital in Larkana, Bilawal said Chandka Hospital was a gift from former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the people but was now unable to cope with its growing patient burden.
He said people from Balochistan, including Naseerabad and other areas, also travelled to Larkana for medical treatment.
Recalling his first election as an MNA, Bilawal said he had contacted the medical superintendent of Chandka Medical College and learnt about the difficulties faced by the institution.
He said the PPP wanted to provide internationally standard healthcare facilities to the public, stressing that no citizen should be deprived of treatment because of a lack of money.
“In the present circumstances, free healthcare facilities are more important for the people,” he said.
Bilawal added that Sindh was spending Rs45 billion on higher education, while the provincial government was also focusing on healthcare facilities across the province in view of the economic situation.
