My old father has been arrested and my family is being threatened: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called for countrywide protests and demonstrations hours after co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s was taken into custody by NAB, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The decision was one of the many made during a meeting of the PPP’s central executive committee (CEC), presided over by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The meeting also agreed upon participation in an all-party conference (APC) of the opposition parties.

Bilawal addressing the media after the meeting said that his old father had been taken under custody and his family was being threatened, it was now time for him to come out on the streets and take the proverbial bull by it’s horns.

A two member-bench of the Islamabad High Court comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Kiyani announced the verdict on the bail plea filed by PPP leaders.

NAB requested the court to allow them the arrest the brother-sister duo for probe in the mega money laundering reference.

PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur were not in attendance in the court room at the time of announcement of the verdict.

Following the orders of the IHC, a team of NAB reached Zardari House to arrest the PPP co-chairman as the arrest warrants of Faryal Talpur were not yet issued by the bureau.

Bilawal said that there have always been double standards when it came to People’s Party and other political parties, “people were not taken under custody in the past till proven guilty but our leadership is taken under arrest on allegations.”

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“Everyone reserves the right to a fair trial; the speaker of Sindh Assembly was arrested on the roads of Islamabad,” said Bhutto-Zardari.

Speaking about party co-chairman and his father Asif Ali Zardari’s arrest earlier in the day pertaining to fake bank accounts case, Bilawal said that the government was afraid.

“It is clear that they wanted Asif Zardari to not be a part of today’s National Assembly proceedings, he was stopped from making it to the assembly by the government.”

Linking the presidential references against three top judges of the country, Bilawal was of the opinion that this was a means to create unnecessary anarchy.

“Cowards are trying to create conflict with the judiciary, hence the inquiries and references against them; this is testament to the fact that the government is scared.”

Rifts exist in Sindh, KPK and Balochistan, slogans of “Naya Pakistan, Na Khappay (We reject ‘Naya Pakistan)” have started coming to the forefront, said Bilawal Bhutto.

“We were not allowed to speak up during the time of dictatorship and the same is being done in the present regime’s rule,” added Bilawal.

“What happened today told me that the government does not want the National Assembly to function like it should, we will keep on demanding our due rights, PPP will not compromise on their rightful demands,” stressed the PPP chairman.

Bilawal expanding on the anti-government campaign said that they will talk to all stake holders in the parliament and try to bring the opposition leaders and dissenters on one platform to to form a formidable alliance against the present government and it’s hegemonic designs.

“Zardari has been arrested to foreshadow governments ills and incompetence,” said Bilawal.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Asif Ali Zardari earlier in the day as Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected bail pleas of the former president and his sister Faryal Talpur in the mega money laundering case.

It is pertinent to note that both the PPP leaders’ interim bail was extended five times during the court proceedings pertaining to the reference.