Imran’s ouster first step to right wrongs of past: Bilawal

Says fundamental constitutional structure that gives Pakistanis freedom was undermined during last 3 years

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday said that bringing the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan to oust him from power was a “very important first step to right the wrongs of the past”, but warned that there was a long road ahead.

“This was a very important first step to right the wrongs of the past, but we have a long road ahead of us,” Bilawal said in an interview with the British state media.

The BBC had asked the PPP chairman about the economic problems and whether his party’s alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would last long and help heal the wounds. “I believe the answer to Pakistan’s problem is democracy, democracy, and more democracy,” he said.

Bilawal shared that following his mother’s assassination in 2007, the country’s democracy had made “immense progress for the proceeding 10 years”.

However, he said that during Imran Khan’s government in the last three years, the “fundamental constitutional structure” that gives Pakistanis freedom was “undermined”.

“And we believe unless you have political and democratic freedoms we can’t progress in achieving the economic rights of our people,” he said.

On the election for the prime minister, scheduled for today (Monday), he said the PPP would support PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif.

“The reason my party led the effort to bring a no-confidence motion in parliament was not just to elect Mr Shahbaz Sharif. Our motivation is to conduct electoral reforms and move towards a more democratic Pakistan after suffering under three years of a government that we contend came to power through a rigged election,” Bilawal said.

When asked to confirm if he would become the next foreign minister, Bilawal refused to answer it. “My goal in this struggle was to bring progress in Pakistan’s democracy to ensure electoral reforms and undo the damage that was done to our constitution, democratic systems, human rights, media freedom to economic rights over the last three years,” he said.

A day earlier, Imran Khan was ousted as the prime minister from office through a no-confidence motion after the NA debated on the matter for more than 12 hours and the political situation in the country took a critical turn Saturday night.