ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari yesterday slammed the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government for practising “extremist politics” and ignoring its core responsibility of serving the people.

The ex-foreign minister’s remarks came a day after the former ruling party boycotted the all-parties conference (APC), summoned by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi over recent tribal clashes that claimed at least 133 lives and injured 186 others.

The Imran Khan-founded party was of the view: “The PPP has no mandate in KP [...] it wants to hold a lifeless exhibitory meeting to portray itself as a democratic party.”

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Bilawal hailed PPP-backed Governor Kundi’s initiative aimed at “creating political consensus” and addressing difficulties faced by the people of KP.

“Dialogue between political forces is the most effective means to not only address political, economic and security challenges but forge the political consensus and stability required to achieve results.”

Castigating the firebrand Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur-led provincial government, the PPP chief said: “It is unfortunate that the government with executive authority & primary responsibility to address these issues have not even spent one day since they formed government doing what they are meant to. Serve the people of their province.”

He added, “They have been busy practicing their extremist politics at the expense of the people of Pakhtunkhwa.”

Censuring the PTI’s decision to skip the APC, the PPP top leader said: “Despite having been invited, they refused to attend or contribute to this APC as well.”

He said that the people of KP deserved their problems to be addressed. The PPP chairman vowed to continue their fight for the real rights of the people of all provinces, including the KP, with or without the help of the provincial government in Peshawar.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI, on Wednesday, alleged that the PPP was “actively supporting” the Centre’s “nefarious agenda” of banning the PTI.

It further alleged that the Bilawal-led party was also involved in “rounding up” its workers and supporters in Sindh.

Separately, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said that the decision to boycott the APC was taken over the PPP’s “silence on massacre of unarmed and peaceful civilians” - referring to the party’s allegations of “straight firing” on protesters in Islamabad.

The PTI claimed that at least 12 of its supporters were killed when the “law enforcers opened straight fire on them during the “do-or-die” protest in Islamabad last month.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 07 2024

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