ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has warned that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s recent remarks could further aggravate the country’s political environment, urging him to adopt the tone of a national leader rather than engage in divisive rhetoric.
Speaking on Geo News’ Jirga programme, Sanaullah described Bilawal’s criticism of Defence Minister Khawaja Asif as inappropriate and cautioned against using inflammatory political statements ahead of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections.
What did Rana Sanaullah say?
Sanaullah said Bilawal should speak as a national leader instead of promoting political hostility for electoral purposes. He defended Khawaja Asif against Bilawal’s criticism and maintained that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had never followed a tradition of expelling party members disrespectfully.
On the situation in AJK, Sanaullah said the federal government supported the AJK government’s decision to declare the Joint Action Committee (JAC) a banned organisation, adding that Bilawal appeared to be opposing that decision.
He also clarified that the government had neither registered a case against Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman nor intended to escalate the matter.
What did Bilawal Bhutto Zardari say?
Addressing a public rally in Kotli, Bilawal predicted that the PPP would secure victory in the upcoming AJK elections and form the next regional government.
He said the future of Kashmir should be decided solely by the people of Kashmir and accused certain PML-N ministers of making statements detrimental to Kashmiri interests.
Bilawal further stated that unless Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly distanced himself from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks, he would regard those comments as the official policy of the federal government.
What are the PPP’s demands?
Bilawal renewed the PPP’s call for establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address the situation in AJK and urged authorities to restore internet services in the region.
He said stakeholders had yet to respond to the proposal and called on the government to present an alternative mechanism if it was unwilling to establish the commission.
Why is the exchange significant?
The latest exchange highlights growing political tensions between the ruling PML-N and the PPP ahead of the AJK elections, with both parties publicly clashing over governance, political rhetoric and developments in the region.