Bilawal calls Asad Umar ‘parha likha jahil’
Did Umar speak in English or Urdu in the company that he used to work for? asks PPP chairman
March 11, 2019
LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday called Finance Minister Asad Umar "a parha likha jahil" (educated fool) for criticising his speech in English on the floor of the National Assembly.
Speaking to the media after meeting former premier Nawaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpat jail, Bilawal said, "The parha likha jahil Asad Umar criticised me for speaking in English. Did Umar speak in English or Urdu in the company that he used to work for?"
The PPP chairman further said it was unclear if Umar was criticising him or Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. “I could not understand if he [Asad Umer] was criticising me or Shah Mehmood Qureshi. If there was an issue with English, Shah Mehmood Qureshi used more English in his speech than I did.”
The PPP chairman added that Umar also had an issue with him using the name Bhutto. "PM Imran through a notification slashed his father's name, someone should tell Umar that I write Zardari in my name along with Bhutto. Umar should not indulge in politics of hypocrisy," the PPP chairman asserted.
Last week, Bilawal had tweeted that the federal cabinet is not on the same page as Umar criticised his speech while Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi agreed with him.
"Finance minister called my speech ‘mulk dushman’ even though foreign minister agreed with everything I said," Bilawal tweeted. "So the cabinet is clearly not on the same page. He took issue with my English, even though FM spoke in English. General Umar’s offspring are in no position to lecture ghairat (integrity)," he added.
Asad Umar while addressing the National Assembly last week had criticised Bilawal for changing his name and speaking in English and said, "There is a leader who has changed his name from Zardari to Bhutto."
Umar 's comments came after Bilawal criticised the prime minister's decision of "returning the Indian pilot so soon" and stressed it was done without "reciprocation from India or guarantees of de-escalation". The PPP chairman also opposed the government's decision not to attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting. According to Bilawal, not attending the meeting was synonymous to missing the opportunity for engagement and to use the platform to get Pakistan’s message to the Muslim world.
