LARKANA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif is reportedly trying to use a backdoor to become the nation’s prime minister for the fourth time, according to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a former foreign minister.
When asked whether he believed that the establishment was supporting Nawaz, Bilawal responded in an interview with Reuters, “He’s certainly giving the impression that he is relying on something other than the people of Pakistan to become prime minister for the fourth time.”
Bilawal, who belongs to the most influential political family in Pakistan, conducted the interview after a demanding four-week campaign that saw him visit over 33 localities; in contrast, other parties had only started their canvassing efforts last week.
The main components of Bilawal’s campaign for prime minister of Pakistan, which, if successful, would make him the country’s youngest prime minister since his mother Benazir was in power, are his appeal to youth and his bold promises to tackle climate change.
The 35-year-old, a scion of a dynasty that produced two prime ministers for the country, is calling for fresh perspectives and leadership to quell political and economic upheaval as the general elections on February 8 draw near.
“The implications of the decisions taken today are going to be faced by the youth of Pakistan,”
“I think it would be better if they were allowed to make those decisions.”
Pakistan has 241 million people living there, of whom almost two thirds are under 30. Since 2000, the country’s prime ministers have, on average, been older than 61.
The Oxford-educated Bilawal is less than half the age of former cricket superstar Imran Khan, 71, who won the last election in 2018, and three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, 74, who pundits believe is the front-runner in next month’s election.
The eventual victor will have to turn around a faltering $350-billion economy that is battling historical inflation and a shaky rupee that is impeding growth and young people’s access to employment.
The PPP leader intends to capitalize on the general outrage by announcing that, in spite of financial limitations, he has a clear strategy to increase social safety programs and offer free power.
In line with his party’s election platform, he declared, “What we propose is to completely restructure Pakistan’s development model, putting the threat of climate change front and centre.”
Ensuring that the over $10 billion in committed money this year go toward combating climate change, following the devastating floods of 2022 that caused the displacement of over 7 million people, is an uncommon promise made in Pakistan.
Subject to the whims of government formation, calculations indicate that Bilawal may take office in 1988 at the latest, only 25 days older than his mother, if he were to win the election.He said, “I haven’t actually counted, but… I think she was the youngest,” in response to the question about how he felt about his prospects.
