KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said Balochistan’s problems must be resolved through political consensus rather than military action.
Speaking to reporters in Karachi, Bilawal said the grievances of the people of Balochistan were genuine and that terrorism remained the province’s biggest challenge. “The solution to Balochistan is political. We need decisions based on political consensus that benefit the people,” he said.
Bilawal said that India is financing terrorism and said Pakistan was raising the issue of Indian-sponsored terrorism at the global level. He recalled that Pakistan had defeated terrorism before and expressed confidence it could do so again.
Turning to flood devastation, Bilawal said Punjab, particularly southern Punjab, along with Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had suffered historic damage. He urged the federal government to deliver relief through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
His remarks came a day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including Rana Sanaullah, criticised the possible use of BISP funds for flood assistance. Bilawal said BISP was the only program capable of providing immediate relief and questioned why the federal government had not launched a global appeal for aid.
He said PML-N had taken full ownership of BISP during the election campaign but had now taken a “U-turn.” He insisted the federal government’s reluctance to embrace the program was driven by ego.
Bilawal also urged talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on wheat support prices. He said Sindh farmers would receive subsidies through the Hari Card scheme to reduce reliance on wheat imports.
“The agricultural sector is still reeling from flood damage. Food security risks remain,” he warned, adding that he had requested the prime minister to declare an agricultural and climate emergency. He welcomed the waiver of electricity bills for flood-hit areas.
Bilawal stressed that the federation bore primary responsibility in natural disasters. “I am not criticizing the federal government. I am requesting it to raise these issues globally,” he said, defending BISP against opposition criticism.
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On foreign policy, Bilawal said Pakistan’s agreement with Saudi Arabia had been widely appreciated and would soon be presented in an in-camera briefing. “This agreement will strengthen Pakistan as an exporting country,” he noted.
Commenting on politics within his family, Bilawal welcomed his cousin Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Jr.’s political activities. “We have always had good wishes for him. Neither I nor my sisters have issued any statement against him,” he said.
