Staff Reporter
Islamabad
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Monday that the National Accountability Bureau can arrest his entire family but it still won’t deter him from maintaining the PPP’s stance on democracy, the National Finance Commission and the 18th Amendment.
The PPP chairman was addressing media outside an accountability court on Monday where former president Asif Ali Zardari had attended a hearing related to the Toshakhana reference. Bilawal alleged that his lawyers were not allowed to go inside the court. “The public and lawyers were not allowed to come to the court. Is this an attempt to pressurise us or the judiciary,” he asked.
“Are you so afraid of president Zardari?” said Bilawal, adding that the “entire police” of Islamabad was deployed at the court’s premises.
Bilawal said that the government can do whatever it wants but the PPP will not compromise on the 18th Amendment. “We are feeling that there is pressure on us, we are being threatened so that we can tow the same line,” he said.
The PPP chairperson accused police and administration of misbehaving with the people. “Today is August 17, every jiyala remembers August 17,” said the PPP chairman, calling it a “mango day” in reference to the plane crash of former military dictator Zia-ul-Haq.
Bilawal continued that there was a “puppet” sitting in the Prime Minister House and “his strings are being operated from elsewhere”. The PPP chairman warned that attempts were being made to control everyone like a puppet. “PPP has faced the dictatorships of Yahya Khan, Zia-ul-Haq and Musharraf,” said Bilawal.
Bilawal accused the current regime of playing “psychological games” with him and his family and “threatening” him to change his stance otherwise his father, party colleagues and workers will face the music.
Bilawal said his party had stood up against military dictators, be it Yayha Khan, Ziaul Haq or Pervez Musharraf and will continue to resist against the current “hybrid regime” as well.
He also criticised National Accountability Bureau’s lawyer for “abusing” Zardari’s counsel in the court, saying that the prosecutor resorted to such behaviour because he “did not have any arguments”.
The PPP lawmaker lamented that Zardari, who had obtained bail from the Islamabad High Court on medical grounds last year, was ordered to appear before court in person even though he had underlying conditions and was at risk of contracting Covid-19.
He added that the hearing was adjourned without any development in the case “so that Zardari would have to appear before the court and expose himself once again on another day”.
Former president Zardari had arrived in court with his children Bilawal and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari amid heavy security. Aseefa, while sharing images of police deployed near the court, had criticised the arrangements and said: “Called to court only to have our lawyers forcibly stopped by LEAs All access points blocked by police.
