WEB DESK: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has strongly rejected claims that his party has remained silent on the water crisis, terming such allegations as “blatant lies.” He maintained that PPP has consistently raised its voice on water distribution, both from and outside the parliament. “We were the only party to highlight this issue, including at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on December 27,” he said.
He pointed out that PPP lawmakers have repeatedly spoken on the issue in National Assembly sessions, citing Nawab Yousuf Talpur’s impassioned speech, where he raised the matter while being bound to a wheelchair. Similarly, he noted that the Sindh government, including the chief minister and other ministers, has actively taken up the issue.
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Bilawal accused certain politicians of deliberately creating confusion and attempting to politicise the water crisis. “Some are using national issues for their own political mileage and targeting those who genuinely speak up,” he remarked, adding that such statements were misleading.
Calling the water crisis a “matter of life and death,” Bilawal reiterated PPP’s commitment to addressing it. “We believe in constructive politics, but those who truly want to keep this issue non-controversial should voice their concerns in an appropriate manner,” he stated.
On national politics, he dismissed the notion of a “half-term prime minister” formula, reaffirming PPP’s independent stance. “Our position with the government is clear. We are the third-largest party in the National Assembly. Had we been fully aligned with the government, we would have joined the federal cabinet. However, complete trust has yet to be established,” he said.
He added that while the PPP would support policies that benefit the public and improve the economy, it would also continue to raise concerns where necessary. Looking towards the opposition, he questioned the role of PTI, the second-largest party in the assembly. “What exactly is PTI doing? Our voters sought relief from inflation, and some progress has been made. Meanwhile, the only demand from the other side is the release of ‘Prisoner 420’—how does that concern our voters?”
Commenting on President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent address to the parliament, Bilawal said the president covered all key aspects, including improvements in the IT sector. He reiterated that President Zardari had also issued a warning to the government regarding the extraction of canals from the Indus River: “The decision to extract canals from the Indus River is affecting the federation and should be reversed.”