“I can’t be involved in the same old politics,” he said (File)
Islamabad:
Pakistan People’s Party chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Monday that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would not become the country’s top diplomat if he returns to power in Thursday’s election.
The 35-year-old son of the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto became the country’s youngest foreign minister in 2022, leading a coalition government led by Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shehbaz Sharif, who was It was formed after the overthrow of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by Imran Khan. -The Insaaf party held a vote of no confidence in parliament earlier that month.
In an interview with Independent Urdu, Bilawal Bhutto said it would be difficult for him to join hands with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) if it comes to power after the February 8 polls .
“If Nawaz comes to power again, I will not become the foreign minister and I cannot participate in the same old politics. If he gets rid of this and creates an environment conducive to democracy in the country, then I can live with this,” the report quoted him words.
Bilawal said that apart from the BJP, both major political parties were involved in the politics of hatred and division. “It feels like you have to choose between the devil and the deep sea,” he said, adding that he hoped the People’s Party would be able to form a government on its own.
Bilawal Bhutto said in a separate interview that his party was not seeking an electoral alliance with any party but was contesting elections based on its manifesto.
In an interview with VOA Urdu, the PPP chief expressed hope for political stability in the country and Pakistan moving in a “positive direction”.
A few days ago, Bilawal had lashed out at Nawaz Sharif and said it was “an insult to the people of Pakistan” to “give an impression” about the upcoming general elections. He criticized the three-time former prime minister for “not campaigning enough”.
According to the Dawn newspaper, Bilawal made the above remarks in a podcast interview. His father, Asif Ali Zardari, served as the 11th President of Pakistan from September 2008 to September 2013.
Mr Sharif is the only politician to serve as prime minister of the coup-ridden country a record three times. However, each term ended with his stepping down in 1993, 1999 and 2017.
Elections for 336 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament and the four provincial assemblies will be held on February 8. Around 18,000 candidates are contesting for the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
