Senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Wednesday advised PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to steer clear of provocations. However, Saad expressed satisfaction with Bilawal’s performance as a cabinet member. In his message, Saad emphasized the transparency of his own and his family’s history, noting that they neither concealed themselves nor served British rulers, Ayub Khan, or Yahya Khan – former military dictators.
The remarks alluded to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his family. Saad recalled the imprisonments endured by his family under various governments in the past 80 years, from Khizar Hayat Tiwana to Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa. The PML-N leader reminded Bilawal that his father, Khawaja Rafique, had faced assassination during what he termed as the “civilian dictator’ era of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Saad recounted his own tribulations, mentioning three incarcerations during the Zia regime, imprisonment while resisting Pervez Musharraf’s dictatorship, enduring physical torture, and the loss of his mother. Highlighting the sacrifices made, Saad pointed out that he, along with others, faced challenges during the tenures of PTI Chairman, Bajwa, and Saqib Nisar. This response from Saad comes after Bilawal accused the PML-N of attempting to involve “institutions” to advance the party’s political agenda, stating that a specific “pitch” was being prepared.
Bilawal also urged Nawaz Sharif to focus on addressing problems in Punjab, a reaction to PML-N’s ongoing efforts to expand its political presence in Sindh and Balochistan.
