Imran insists on snap polls as his ‘facilitators’ still in establishment: Bilawal

• PPP chairman also calls former PM part of past.
• Says PTI chief wants polls while "facilitators" are in establishment.
• "Khan wants all institutions to work as his Tiger Force," says Bilawal.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Wednesday once again took a jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, saying the deposed prime minister’s insistence on snap polls comes following the possible presence of his "facilitators in the establishment".

“Imran Khan wants elections to be held as long as his facilitators are sitting in the establishment. This is the reason behind his insistence on snap polls,” he said while speaking with journalists after reviewing Rescue 1122’s newly-constructed trauma centre in Larkana, Sindh.

Bilawal, the 34-year-old minister for foreign affairs, also said that Khan’s "facilitators" have moved away from "one institution", but they might still be present in another.

Hinting at the establishment's role in conducting snap polls earlier today, Imran Khan said that it is necessary for those "backing" the incumbent government get convinced for the elections to be held soon.

“If elections are held on time, Imran Khan’s facilitators perhaps will not be in any institution,” Bilawal added.

He went on to say that Khan, who was ousted through a no-confidence motion in April this year, is using all kinds of tactics including "politics of lies, hatred and division" due to this problem.

Censuring the PTI chairman for begging the military to help him regarding the polls, the foreign minister said: “Imran’s election narrative seeks help from the army. Imran Khan’s narrative wants all institutions to work as his Tiger Force. He wants them to violate the Constitution, forcefully making him the prime minister again.”

The PPP chairman, mocking the ousted premier’s irrelevance in the country’s political future, said that he has no future and has become a part of the past, just like former military dictator General (retired) Pervez Musharraf. “Like how Musharraf is part of the past, Imran Khan and his colleagues, too, will become a part of the past,” he stated.

The minister, who commemorated his mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s 15th death anniversary a day earlier, maintained that parliament completes its term according to the Constitution and law. Until 2007, Bilawal shared that the parliament wouldn’t complete its term.

“We have completed two terms of the parliament. Even now, despite the change of prime minister, it will be complete its duration,” the minister said.

Bilawal stated that the completion of the parliament’s three consecutive terms, according to political scientists, is a victory for democracy.

“This closes the door for dictatorship forever,” he mentioned.

Earlier today, during a visit to Garhi Khuda Baksh, the foreign minister advised the former prime minister to let go off his "unnecessary behaviour".

Rescue 1122 trauma centre Larkana

While visiting Rescue 1122’s newly-constructed trauma centre in Larkana, the foreign minister said that the Sindh government is trying its level best to upgrade all hospitals at par with international standards.

He added that the trauma centre Larkana will also facilitate people of Balochistan and Punjab. Bilawal also spoke about the economic challenges faced by the federal government due to limited resources and spoke about its efforts to solve all the economic issues.

He also visited wards and rescue ambulances centre 1122. He resolved to construct such trauma centres across all division headquarters.

“Loss and Damage” fund — govt's success

On another occassion, the PPP chairman spoke about the creation of the “Loss and Damage” fund under Pakistan’s chairmanship at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), in Egypt, last month to support the climate disasters hit countries, which was a significant achievement.

Referring to the fund's establishment, Bilawal said it was something that climate activists had been struggling for the last 30 years and he was proud of its achievement under Pakistan’s chair of the G77.

In an interview with Arab News, the foreign minister said he felt the government managed to achieve some common ground through the language incorporated in loss and damage.

Obviously, Bilawal said, there were different perspectives as the developing world felt that their carbon footprint was smaller, and they had not contributed as much as the developed world to this crisis.

“The agenda, or the aspiration of the G77, is exactly that. We represent the aspirations of the developing world,” he added, reiterating that the ‘Loss and Damage’ fund was a demonstration of developing nations wielding collective strength when they had a common cause.

— With additional input from APP