Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has harshly criticized President Arif Alvi for failing to call the National Assembly’s first session as required by the Constitution. Bhutto-Zardari claims that Alvi is failing in his duties and that a case will be brought against him for disobeying the law.
The statement came a day after Alvi again struck a defiant posture as he returned a caretaker government’s summary for convening the inaugural session of the National Assembly, prompting Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to call the maiden sitting of the lower house of parliament on February 29.
In the weeks leading up to his departure as president, Alvi made it clear that he would only sign the summary of the agreement provided the problem of the legally mandated reserved seats for women and minorities was settled and divided among the parties.
Prominent constitutional scholars and individuals who closely follow parliamentary proceedings have expressed unequivocally that the president was required by the constitution to call an assembly session under Article 91(2) no later than 21 days following the day of the general elections.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad on Tuesday, Bilawal insisted that the NA speaker would guarantee adherence to constitutional standards, hence the postponement would not impede the process of forming a government.
The PPP chairman also discussed his intentions on the selection of governors following his father Asif Ali Zardari’s ascension to the President. He declared that, should Zardari be elected, he will use his power to select governors for each province.
According to Bilawal, “No decision has been taken regarding the governors at this point, but after Zardari’s election as president, he will have the authority to appoint governors for all provinces.”
He emphasized the significance of the impending presidential election and how it will affect important administrative jobs in the wake of it.
In his political commentary, Bilawal mentioned the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) position on Shehbaz Sharif’s potential for prime ministership. He asserted that the SIC is enabling Shehbaz to become prime minister by neither asking for his vote or making an effort to persuade him. “Shehbaz Sharif will become the prime minister only because of the Sunni Ittehad Council,” said Bilawal.
In response to a query concerning the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bilawal charged that the group did not own its errors and did not have faith in the Constitution, democracy, or the current framework. He described Imran Khan, the founder of the PTI, who is incarcerated in Adiala Jail, as someone who won’t own up to his faults.
In response to a question concerning his pre-election pledges, Bilawal restated his intention to free all political prisoners in the event that he was elected. He made it clear, though, that in the absence of the mandate, he could only ask the incoming prime minister to take such action.
PPP Information Secretary Shazia Marri highlighted in a similar remark that the names being explored for the Senate chairman and governors are subject to change. She emphasized that Asif Ali Zardari, should he win the presidential election, would make the decisions.
Marri said, “There has been no change in the consensus reached by the political parties, and we will take support from other parties for constitutional posts.” She clarified that the shortlisting and final judgments were still pending and disregarded the names that were circulating as rumors.
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