Bilawal Bhutto seeks political support to fight terrorism

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday called upon all political parties to unite and cooperate with each other to fight against terrorism for a safe and secure future of the country.
“Pakistan has been facing the menace of extremism and terrorism for a while and there is a need for united efforts by all political forces to face these challenges,” said Bilawal while addressing the second conference of ‘Pakistan Leaders of Tomorrow’ at Aiwan-e-Sadr which was organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on a special initiative of President Zardari to interact with the youth.
Bilawal said the PPP, in its attempt to put forth a united front against the nation’s common enemy, had set aside old differences with other political forces in the country. He said it was important to protect Jinnah’s Pakistan from the threat of the Taliban. He further said that PML-N had been part of the coalition in the initial months following the 2008 elections and therefore the government was able to build the necessary consensus that allowed elimination of Taliban rule in Swat and helped establish the writ of the state in the area. Bilawal expressed certainty that Nawaz Sharif was genuinely an ally in the strengthening and continuity of democracy in the country.
He welcomed Imran Khan’s decision to finally take part in the upcoming general elections and stated he was confident that Khan’s inclusion would have a positive impact on politics in Pakistan.
Bilawal also believed that the government would be able to build consensus with religious parties including Jamaat-e-Islami.
He categorically stated that “we are opposed to drone strikes” and added that had these strikes been carried out with the connivance of the government, the then foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is currently part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), would have resigned on the same issue.
He stated that following the Osama raid, the PPP and President Zardari were amongst the few political forces that stood by the armed forces. He alleged that even the PML-N chief was calling for the military and intelligence leadership to be sacked but President Zardari defended them, thereby living up to his title of Commander-in-Chief.
“Now even the Americans have accepted that Pakistan did not know Osama was in Abbottabad,” he said.
Bilawal asserted that it was the PPP government’s efforts and the functioning of a solid democratic system that resulted in an apology from a superpower following the Salala incident.