PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday severely criticised NAB, calling it a tool of political victimisation and demanding its abolishment.

“NAB is inconsistent with the economy; it is a black law that must be abolished,” he said while speaking to reports at the Lahore Press Club.

The National Accountability Bureau has been reduced to a tool in the hand of the government to use for political victimisation, he said. There should be another body for transparent operations against corruption, he added.

Bilawal said the democracy in Pakistan owes a large share to the sacrifices of “our journalist brethren”. “But unfortunately, today both democracy and journalism are besieged by the undemocratic attitude of the rulers.”

“Whenever a movement was initiated in Pakistan, Lahore spearheaded it, and Lahore Press Club has a significant role in the country’s democracy,” the PPP leader said.

“We’ll not allow them to make that Naya Pakistan which stifles the freedom of expression.”

“We want a Pakistan where you (journalists) could write as per your conscience and where I (a politician) could speak whatever I wish,” Bilawal said.

We need a constructive Pakistan but the incumbent government is bent upon suppressing the dissenting voices, he added.

Lamenting the mutual discord among the democratic forces, PPP chairman said: “The secret of success of the undemocratic forces is that they have 100 percent coordination among them.”

Talking about the political victimisation of the opposition, Bilawal said, “It is only because of the political victimisation that Asif Zardari is in jail.” Raja Pervez Ashraf too bore the brunt of this victimization, he added.

Both Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari had been cleared of all the (corruption) charges in the end but unfortunately “my mother (Benazir) did not live to see her acquittal.

PPP chief said that media was partially censored during Nawaz’s reign too but Imran Khan exceeded his predecessor by stifling media economically by withholding advertisement payments.

“Those who take away your rights are the undemocratic people.”

Govt's economic performance

Discussing the economic performance of the government, Bilawal said, “The government had been confused since it came to power and had no idea whether or not it should go to the IMF.

The PTI-IMF financial programme is nothing but “the economic murder” of masses, he said, adding that the government should have negotiated practicable targets with the international lender.

When PPP was in the government it increased the salaries of the people “but this government is not even paying to its current employees, what to speak of the new jobs”, he commented.

About the PTI government’s drive to bring the people into the tax net, Bilawal Bhutto said, “It was a noble intention and I don’t doubt the government’s motive but it was [employing] a wrong method.”

The most needed thing that the government missed in this regard was the structural reforms in the FBR, he explained.

Sheikh Rasheed

When a journalist asked Bilawal what he thought about Sheikh Rashid, who says sarcastic things about him and calls his maternal grandparent (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) a selected PM, he uttered some strong words while maintaining a smile on his face.

“Sheikh Rashid is a gutter minister, and he is the one who is selected as he becomes part of every selected government.”

The PPP leader said he is amazed to see that Sheikh Rashid was still in the office as he is the one during whose ministry railways recorded the highest number of accidents.

It was another instance showing Imran Khan’s hypocrisy who while in opposition always insisted on the resignations of the ministers if any such incident would take place.