Bilawal accepts Shehbaz's dare, invites Nawaz to Sindh for debate duel

• Debate can also be held outside NICVD in Karachi: Bilawal.
• Claims Sindh provides better health facilities than Punjab. 
• Says three-time former premier had never visited Gambat.

The ongoing tussle between the leaderships of two mainstream political parties, the PPP and PML-N, took a new turn after the former’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accepted the latter’s President Shehbaz Sharif’s dare and proposed three locations in Sindh for a debate duel against three-time ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

A heated war of words between the two key allies in the former Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government escalated further as the country braces for the upcoming elections, scheduled to be held on February 8.

In line with the Western democracies, Bilawal — PPP-P’s candidate for prime minister's office — dared PML-N supremo, a day earlier, to debate anywhere before February 8 to provide voters with crucial insights into their plans.

Taking a dig at Bilawal over his US-style debate challenge, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said that it should have been better if the three-time former prime was invited to inspect Sindh instead of the dare.

Addressing a public rally in Rawalpindi, the PML-N president, without naming Bilawal, said: “A political leader and my friend said he wanted to have a debate with Nawaz Sharif.”

“I want to tell them who have a complaint that the lion is not hunting that they will find out on February 8.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the PML-N leadership, after the end of the PDM-led government, has been criticising the PPP over its “poor performance” in Sindh, where the party has been ruling for over 15 years.

Meanwhile, the PPP chairman took Shehbaz’s dare and proposed three different locations in Sindh for the debate duel.

In a swift response, Bilawal took to his X handle, formerly known as Twitter, and responded to the PML-N stalwart’s taunt, saying: “I am ready for debate and [as well as] inspection.”

The PPP chairman invited the PML-N supremo to a debate and suggested three locations — Karachi, Gambat Tehsil of Khairpur District and Tharparkar.

He offered Nawaz to debate with him in Gambat, where what he claimed hospitals were better than any hospital in the Punjab, adding that the treatment here was absolutely free.

Firing a fresh salvo at the PML-N supremo, the PPP stalwart said that despite enjoying three terms, the former premier had never visited Gambat.

Giving the option of another venue, the PPP stalwart said that the debate duel between the duo could also be held in Tharparkar.

“The infrastructure of Thar will also be inspected,” he said, adding that they would compare Thar with Cholistan.

Slamming Sharifs, Bilawal said: “Thar coal project, which was opposed by you and your brother, is not only providing cheap electricity to Karachi but Faisalabad too.”

The debate could also be held outside the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi, Bilawal said, adding that the healthcare facility provided treatment to over 84,000 Punjab patients last year, which is proof that such facilities are not available in the Punjab hospitals.

Bilawal asked Shehbaz not to run away and confirm a date and location for the debate dual between him and the three-time former prime minister.