Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has rejected PTI chief Imran Khan’s demand to hold early elections in the country, saying in a bid to strengthen democracy it is imperative for incumbent parliament to complete its five-year tenure.
“The significant democratic achievement for Pakistan from 2007 up until 2022 is that every single parliament during that time completed its five-year term,” the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman said in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Sunday.
Bilawal said he did not see the need to hold snap elections in the country as was being demanded by the PTI chairman “unless there is some sort of emergency or extraordinary situation”.
When I was in opposition and demanded early elections, Mr Khan didn’t agree. Before the vote-of-no-confidence, I led a campaign across the country where I demanded Mr Imran to dissolve his assembly and call for early elections – FM @BBhuttoZardari
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) December 4, 2022
“I don’t see that environment within Pakistan,” he added.
He said the early elections would only further Imran Khan’s agenda and undermine the democratic process.
The foreign minister added that the coalition government led by PML-N inherited from its predecessor “a divided country and a collapsed economy”.
However, he said the incumbent government was looking for solutions to internal problems and consensus at the international level.
In order to address the challenges inherited form the previous government, he said it was essential that the whole country get united as no single political party or individual could address the situation alone.
As far as the previous government is concerned, we inherited a lot from them. We inherited a divided country, an economy on the brink of default, a foreign policy that left us isolated, & problems internally and externally – FM @BBhuttoZardari
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) December 4, 2022
Rubbishing the accusations of a foreign conspiracy behind the removal of Imran Khan, the foreign minister said the political leaders were supposed to speak the truth to their people instead of coming up with such conspiracy theories.
Also read: PTI ‘willing’ to talk to federal govt on next elections
He told the interviewer that it was for the first time that a prime minister was removed constitutionally through a vote of confidence, not through a coup or court order.
To a question, Foreign Minister Bilawal said that Kashmir was an unfinished agenda and since Narendra Modi’s election, the space for Muslims in India as well as Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) was shrinking.
He said the people of Pakistan and India want to live in peace. In order to achieve that, it was essential to respect international laws and conventions to address the issue of terrorism and extremism.
Speaking about Afghanistan, the foreign minister said Pakistan was engaging with the war-torn country in the interest of its own as well as the neighbourhood.
TTP has been involved in heinous terrorist attacks in the past, and terrorist attacks are still ongoing. We expect to work with Afghanistan & the interim authorities there to address the challenges posed by the terrorist organisation – FM @BBhuttoZardari
pic.twitter.com/Z6KbdeERTd— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) December 4, 2022
However, he said the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had been involved in terror attacks in the past which were still going on.
He said Pakistan would work with the Afghan government to address the challenge posed by the terrorist outfits.
(With input from APP)
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