PPP chairman calls on PTI to return to democratic politics, saying it will benefit the party and its leaders
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari delivers a video speech on the occasion of the party’s 58th founding day, Sunday, November 30, 2025. Photo: Express
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to abandon what he described as extremist politics and return to conventional political engagement.
“Based on our history and experience, our advice is that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should abandon extremism and bring its politics within democratic limits. This will be better for their party, their leader, their workers and for the overall political environment of the country,” Bilawal said while inaugurating an intensive care unit at Larkana Children’s Hospital on Sunday.
Bilawal criticized the PTI for attacking state institutions after the arrest of its leader, saying his party would have faced much harsher consequences if it had acted in the same manner. “If the PTI attacked institutions after the arrest of its leader and nothing happened, I ask what would have become of us if the PPP had done the same? he said.
He said political stability and survival of democracy in Pakistan required responsible conduct from the government and the opposition. “If you practice extremist politics, you can’t complain about the harshness that results,” he said, quoting an English expression: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Referring to legal cases against political leaders, Bilawal said: “If a small NAB case is filed against your leader and in response to his arrest you attack our national institutions, then you should not complain later as action will follow in accordance with the law.
He recalled raising the same issue with party workers a day earlier at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh. “It is the PTI, but I ask you once again: if the PPP had attacked the institutions following the arrest of its leader, what would have been our fate? he said, adding, “With PTI, nothing seems to be happening. »
Responding to another question, the PPP chairman said reconciliation remained the fundamental political philosophy of his party. He said President Asif Ali Zardari had played a leading role in promoting reconciliation in the past and would continue to do so in the current political climate. “President Zardari has a history of reconciliation, and even today he will have to play this role,” Bilawal said.
He said tensions were high on Pakistan’s borders with India and Afghanistan and the country was facing terrorism. “At such a time, if the PTI behaves like an extremist organization, the state’s response will be exactly the same,” Bilawal said.
Bilawal also thanked the Prime Minister for sending a delegation to attend Benazir Bhutto’s birthday commemorations, but said no political discussions took place. He stressed that political parties must find political solutions, believing that such an approach is in the public interest.
Regarding the elections, he said polls would be held on time and any reforms needed to ensure transparency should be carried out jointly by political parties. “There is still time before the elections,” he said, calling on all parties, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), to focus on electoral reforms and address objections.
Highlighting Sindh’s health initiatives, Bilawal said key health facilities had been established in Karachi and other districts of the province, saying no other province offered comparable services. He said highly sensitive intensive care facilities, which he described as globally expensive, were being opened in Larkana.
He added that in collaboration with ChildLife Foundation, pediatric healthcare services were being expanded across Sindh. “Sindh now has the lowest infant mortality rate,” he said.
Bilawal acknowledged the economic crisis facing the country, saying employees were struggling to make ends meet. He said the PPP aimed to introduce policies to reduce the economic burden on citizens and implemented the manifesto of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
He criticized the government’s development claims, saying the public remained dissatisfied with economic conditions. “The common man cannot afford the expenses of education and health,” he said.
On privatization, Bilawal said the PPP favored a public-private partnership model. He cited projects such as the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company and the ChildLife Foundation as success stories, noting that The economist The magazine had ranked Sindh’s public-private partnership model sixth in the world.
