Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), emphasized the importance of an apolitical judiciary. He highlighted that the current government lacks the necessary two-thirds majority for constitutional amendments and is trying to engage Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
In a private channel interview on Wednesday, Bilawal expressed regret that the government had not sought PPP’s input on judicial reforms before public announcements. He criticized the government’s approach, especially the law minister’s premature announcement of Supreme Court reforms without discussions.
Bilawal noted a direct interference in judicial reforms, underscoring the PPP’s longstanding opposition to military courts, as reflected in their manifesto. He commented on the political engagement challenges the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founders posed and predicted public accountability for them in upcoming elections.
He acknowledged a shared interest between the government and PPP in judicial reforms but suggested that the proposals could have been better presented for open discussion.
Continuing his critique, Bilawal argued that political stability requires the initiative of political entities. Bilawal highlighted Pakistan’s progress toward democracy, criticizing the PTI’s depiction of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as favourable and accusing PTI leaders of seeking establishment support to regain power. He condemned PTI’s undemocratic political strategies and called for adherence to democratic norms in political dialogues.
He reiterated the PPP’s openness to discussions on electoral reforms despite recognizing existing issues in the electoral system.
In conclusion, Bilawal pointed out the PTI provincial government’s responsibility to address governance challenges effectively. He encouraged PTI’s constructive participation in Parliament but noted the committee’s broader mandate than PTI’s agenda.
Additionally, Bilawal accused PTI founders of levying unfounded allegations against the Army Chief and Chief Justice of Pakistan. He criticized Imran Khan for undermining every IMF agreement, attributing Pakistan’s economic crisis and escalating inflation to PTI’s governance.
