Zardari says Bilawal needs to grow up

• PPP co-chairman says party chairman ‘too young for politics, his thinking needs to mature before he is able to enter politics again’
• Calls for in-camera briefing on Yemen conflict, advises political parties to get rid of ‘rotten eggs’

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday his party’s chairman and son Bilawal Bhutto is being ‘trained’ in London for the time being.

“Bilawal is receiving training in London. I believe that his thinking needs to mature and he needs to grow up. Once that happens, he will enter politics again,” said Zardari.

Further, the former president said PPP would send delegations to different Muslim countries to reach a consensus to resolve the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

While addressing a press conference at Bilawal House, the former president said irrespective of the crises being an issue of a Muslim state, the human tragedy could not be ignored.

“All countries, borders are for people, and of what use will they be if people are not there anymore,” he said.

Zardari said that about two million Pakistanis lived in Saudi Arabia whereas over one million resided in GCC countries and hence, the situation in Middle East could not be ignored.

He said the government had a bigger role to play to resolve the Yemen conflict, and called on it to hold an All Parties Conference, inviting heads of all parties to discuss the situation. The PPP chairman added that his party could even suggest the Pakistan Muslim League-government to hold a conference of all heads of Islamic countries.

Meanwhile, Zardari said that the PPP had decided to remind President Mamnoon Hussain in a letter to reopen the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto murder case.

“The reference was accepted. We want the judges to accept and acknowledge that injustice was done with Bhutto, and they should apologise for it.”

As he established how his party has stood for democracy in most trying times, Zardari lamented that there is “no real democracy” in Pakistan because all the political parties have their lot of “rotten eggs”.

“Instead of banning any party and damaging democracy, they should clean their parties from those people who are creating negative impact on policies of political parties,” he said, insisting that “only dialogue could keep democracy stable”.

Moreover, the PPP co-chairperson welcomed the agreement between government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on judicial commission, saying, “We hope that this government will complete its five years.”