Bilawal slams government for ending subsidy on Hajj

Pakistan People Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Saturday vowed to defend the 18th Amendment to protect the Constitution in its real shape, and assured the journalist fraternity of support for freedom of press in the country.
Speaking at 'Meet the Press' hosted by Karachi Press Club, Bilawal said his party will continue to support and strengthen press clubs across the country but complained that media's soft target is PPP for criticism. He appreciated the media's criticism with a hope it will bring a positive change in his party's governance. He called healthy criticism at PPP rule a good sign for better governance.
He said that the KPC was a primary platform for MRD and ARD against the military rule and upholding the Constitution in the country. He said that the press club, political parties and especially the PPP need coordination for fighting threats against the freedom speech and expression. He assured that he will step up efforts to strengthen press clubs and democracy. "We all have to fight and struggle together for freedom of speech and expression and we have to support each other," he added.
He said that his party government in Sindh will pass a law to protect journalists' interest legally with an assured policy for freedom of press. Showing fears, he said that 18th Constitutional Amendment that was passed by the parliament in consensus is in danger, adding that the country's democratic forces jointly restored the Constitution, cleaning it from changes made by the military rulers. Bilawal vowed to take to the streets if any attempt made to reverse the 18th Constitutional Amendment, saying that the PPP will stage a long march to defend the Constitution.
He said that decision making platform of the country is the parliament and the prime minister should assert his executive authority by not letting any other institutions to take away the very right. He said that the country's decisions should be made by the elected representatives sitting in parliament. About the PTI government's policy, he said that the prime minister's indecisiveness on economic policies has hurt the economy, which should not happen. However, he called the mini-budget as the 'rich's budget' for offering a little to the poor section of the society.
"It is the budget of rich not poor," the PPP's Chairman said, adding that the PTI government failed to support its claims of protecting the poor of the society. He also criticized the PTI government for ending subsidy on Hajj, saying that the rich class will benefit from the financial plan for the current fiscal year. "You should invest in the rural economy and invest in the poor," he advised the federal government, saying that the Sindh government will not raze houses of poor and will rather regularize such colonies built over the passage of time.
To a question, he said that his party is ready to work with the federal government to bring back the missing persons to their families, adding that the prime minister should take a decision carefully while the Afghan issue is towards a settlement, after Taliban and the US struck a peace deal. However, he said that whatever plan is evolved should be in the interest of Afghanistan. He said that PPP wants a peaceful settlement to Afghan war.