On Saturday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated that Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) presidential candidate supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cannot call himself a nationalist while representing the former government party.
Achakzai, the leader of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), has been nominated as the presidential candidate against PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who is a joint candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other political parties in the coalition set to form a government at the Centre.
Achakzai won the National Assembly seat from the NA-266 constituency in Balochistan’s Kila Abdullah-cum-Chaman, and he has the support of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, who has asked his party’s legislators to vote for the senior politician.
According to a notification issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday, the presidential election will be held on March 9, with Zardari as the strongest candidate, backed by many parties in parliament.
Bilawal told journalists in Quetta that he respects and admires Achakzai, but that he “cannot call himself a nationalist if he is going to be a representative of the PTI”.
He stated that the SIC has the authority to nominate any candidate for the presidential position.
The PPP chairman, however, stated that his father, “Asif Zardari, will become the country’s president”.
His party has formed the government in Balochistan with the election of Sarfaraz Bugti as the chief minister.Bilawal stressed “reconciliation” with representatives outside the assemblies and other stakeholders in the conduct of provincial affairs.
He stated that Bugti would be a strong chief minister compared to the PPP’s tenure in Balochistan following the 2008 elections.
“The issues in Sindh and Balochistan are comparable. “Our complaints are directed to the Centre,” the young politician stated, promising to represent Quetta in Islamabad.
He also committed to tackle the province’s terrorists and extremists, as well as to resolve the Baloch missing persons issue through the parliamentary committee.
Separately, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif told the reporters outside Parliament House that the PTI changed its “brand” by naming Achakzai as presidential candidate.
He stated that when the brand changes, the leader should also change.
“[PTI] was calling others a lota [turncoat] but now it is sitting with a gathering of lotas,”
