Pakistan: Ghulam Bilour says Imran misleading masses

Awami National Party (ANP) senior leader and former federal minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour on Tuesday termed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest against loadshedding as a political gimmick.

Speaking at a press conference, he said Imran Khan was misleading the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by staging the protest in Peshawar. “The PTI should stage the protest against the blackouts at an appropriate place like Islamabad or Lahore,” he added.

Flanked by ANP Peshawar district president Malik Ghulam Mustafa, general secretary Sartaj Khan and deputy general secretary Sabz Ali, the nationalists leader said the nation would not support the PTI if Imran Khan tried to derail the democratic dispensation in the country by unconstitutional means. “Imran Khan is trying to become a prime minister despite the fact that he had failed to run the affairs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he added. Ghulam Bilour said inflation had increased by 50 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the government had failed to control crimes, act of extortions and kidnapping for ransom.

“The party has failed to bring about the change it had promised with the people of the province,” he added.He said the province was producing 4500 megawatt of electricity against its total consumption of 2200 megawatt but was denied its due right.

Ghulam Bilour said the federal and provincial governments’ response to the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) was not encouraging. “The IDPs are facing host of hardships in the Ramazan and in the sizzling summer heat due to the indifferent attitude of the governments,” he added. He said the ANP condemned the killing of the innocent Palestinians at the hands of Israel which was carrying out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip unabated.

Regarding the Pakistan People’s Party deal with general (R) Pervez Musharraf, Bilour said that it was the internal matter of the PPP, adding the ANP didn’t make any deal with anyone. He said the ANP supported the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance as it was the need of the hour.