Bilawal criticises Achakzai for becoming PTI candidate for president

QUETTA: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto turned his guns towards Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai after PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) nominated the latter as their presidential nominee, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The SIC announced its decision today, nominating Achakzai to contest for the top constitutional post against PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who is a joint candidate of the PML-N and other political parties part of the coalition set to form a government in the Centre.

Addressing a press conference alongside newly elected Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, Bilawal Bhutto said that Mahmood Khan Achakzai cannot call himself a “nationalist” as he becomes PTI candidate for president’s slot.

However, the PPP chairman said, he would continue to hold dialogue with nationalist parties.

Speaking of PPP’s government in Balochistan, he said that the new provincial regime will be run according to (late) Benazir Bhutto’s last book that spoke about reconciliation.

He reiterated that no single political party could alone resolve all the issues of the country’s largest province. “We should all work together,” he added.

Bilawal expressed hope that CM Bugti will visit Gwadar on his first trip because of the devastation caused by heavy rainfall there. He added that the new Balochistan government will fight terrorists and extremists according to the National Action Plan.

Dubbing missing persons a “contentious” issue, Bilawal Bhutto said that they would form a parliamentary committee over this issue and also invite other political parties to come sit with them.

Out of 336, the alliance has 209 seats in the National Assembly so far while the opposition parties have 104 members with the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) being the largest party in the lower house.

In Punjab, PML-N is the largest political party with 194 seats while the PPP is in the majority in Sindh Assembly. Both the parties have also formed an alliance in the Balochistan Assembly.

Moreover, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, the SIC has over 85 lawmakers.

Zardari, who is competing in the presidential elections for the second time is in pole position to win the election and replace President Arif Alvi.