Bilawal assails govt for pushing nation into dark ages

KARACHI: Reaffirming his determination to fight Taliban militancy in Pakistan, Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday assailed the PML-N government for pushing the nation back to the dark ages by pursuing peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, DawnNews reported. Speaking in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh to commemorate 35th death anniversary of his grandfather and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he said the mess created by the government by engaging the militants in direct talks will again be washed by the blood of martyrs – a reference to sacrifices rendered by ZAB and his mother Benazir Bhutto. Rejecting the dialogue process initiated by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Bilawal said the terrorists will never succeed in their objectives as long as Bhutto’s grandson is alive. “This head can be cut but it will never bow down before the oppressors,” he added. Young Bhutto’s incendiary speech reflected the flare of his mother and grandfather as he declared that Taliban were beasts and zaliman (tyrants) and they will never be accepted in society. Alleging the Punjab government of sheltering the extremists and terrorists, he said the blind are leading those with eye-sight in the name of peace talks. How will peace prevail in a country whose biggest province was sheltering the militants, he questioned. Bilawal urged the masses in Punjab to wake up. Criticizing the privatisation policy, he said the government was planning to sell out national assets in the name of privatisation. The PPP chairman urged the chief ministers of Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand their share of assets from the centre. He also condemned the government for not taking the nation into confidence over $1.5billion ‘friendly aid.’ Speaking on the occasion, former president Asif Ali Zardari emphasised on the importance of inter-sect harmony in the country and urged the government of engaging all political forces on the matter. He dedicated the evening to his son Bilawal amid popular chants and slogans. Shahbaz assures security to Bilawal Meanwhile, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif assured complete security to Bilawal Bhutto whenever he likes to come to Punjab. The PPP patron-in-chief, in a tweet last week, had informed about a threatening letter he received from Lashkar-i-Jahngvi (LJ) and warned to hold the Punjab government responsible for sheltering the banned militant outfit and refusing to take action against them in case an attack was launched against him. In his letter, he wrote in response to a letter of Opposition Leader Syed Khurshid Shah, the chief minister said a joint committee had already been constituted to investigate threat to Bilawal. The Punjab government, he said, was in touch with the Sindh government and would continue to provide it with any development to be taken place in this regard.