Bilawal flies to Dubai amid alleged rift with father; PPP denies differences

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has left for Dubai shortly after his father and former president Asif Ali Zardari publicly undermined his authority.

In an interview with Geo News, Zardari said he was the one who had the power to issue party tickets for candidates in the upcoming general election, not his son.

Zardari said Bilawal was still “under training” and “a new plant” who thought his father did not know anything.

Before leaving for Dubai, Bilawal, who is also the son of the late former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, changed his profile picture on X to one of him with his mother, seemingly as a gesture of defiance. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 and is widely revered as a symbol of democracy and women’s rights in Pakistan.

Meanwhile,

Meanwhile, PPP Central Secretary Information Faisal Karim Kundi rebuffed the rumours of differences between Bilawal and Zardri stating that the PPP chairman’s visit to Dubai was pre-scheduled,

In a tweet, Kundi said: “Chairman PPP (Bilawal Bhutto Zardari)  has left for Dubai yesterday afternoon according to his schedule after KP visit. Rumours regarding differences between Chairman PPP & President (Asif Ali Zardari) is baseless.”

Bilawal had started a country-wide election campaign and addressed huge public rallies in various cities including in Peshawar, Mardan and Chitral

A senior party leader, Nafeesa Shah, also disagreed with Zardari’s remarks and said there should be a balance of youth and experience in politics.

Bilawal had launched a country-wide election campaign ahead of the general polls scheduled for February 8, 2023. He has addressed huge public rallies in various cities across the country, including in Peshawar, Mardan and Chitral, where he had urged senior politicians to give the young politicians opportunity to lead the nation.

Bilawal, who was also the former foreign minister of Pakistan, has presented himself as the heir to his mother’s legacy of a “peaceful, progressive, prosperous, democratic Pakistan”.

He has also opposed the politicians who tend to come to power with the backing of the establishment and striking deals, saying that the people of Pakistan will not accept “selected raj (selected government)” anymore.

Zardari, who is the co-chairman of the PPP, recently said in an interview that he and not Bilawal has the power to issue party tickets for candidates in the upcoming election.

Bilawal, however, has shown defiance and confidence in his campaign, saying that he is the voice of the youth and the poor of Pakistan. He has also vowed to address the issues of terrorism, corruption, poverty, education, health, and human rights in the country.