ISLAMABAD/QUETTA:
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government of trying to shield “rampant corruption” by blocking the PPP’s peaceful protest, calling the move a failed attempt to suppress dissent.
In a statement, Bilawal condemned the use of tear gas against PPP’s political workers, who had taken to the streets in K-P to protest against lawlessness and rising unemployment in the province.
“It is deeply regrettable that peaceful political workers were targeted with tear gas shelling,” he said, adding, “We are not the ones to be cowed by such cheap tactics. Our pursuit of this corrupt and incompetent provincial government will continue.”
The PPP chairman further lambasted the PTI-led K-P administration, terming its action against unarmed political activists as an act of cowardice. “By unleashing violence on unarmed workers, the PTI government has shown its true colours,” he added.
Bilawal said the ‘Save the Province Movement’ (Suba Bachao Tehreek) had now become the voice of every citizen of K-P. “We will not be intimidated by batons and brute force,” he asserted.
He maintained that PPP workers were fully prepared to confront the corrupt K-P government head-on. “The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have now seen the real fascist face of the PTI’s provincial government,” he added.
Meanwhile, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also raised serious concerns regarding the performance of the provincial government, accusing it of widespread corruption and a failure to maintain law and order.
While speaking to journalists outside the Balochistan Assembly, Governor Kundi criticised the provincial government, claiming that key members of the provincial cabinet, including the chief executive, were involved in major financial misconduct.
He said that mismanagement and embezzlement involving billions of rupees had weakened the governance structure and left the public without relief.
He expressed alarm over the security situation, alleging that the provincial authorities had effectively ceded ground to militant elements. “The public is suffering, but those in charge are not responding. Terrorist groups are acting freely, and the government appears incapable of stopping them,” he added.
Referring to a recent bombing that claimed the lives of several children, the governor said the incident highlighted a pattern of repeated security failures.
He pointed out that similar attacks had taken place in the past, notably in Khyber, and lamented that vulnerable communities remained frequent targets of such violence.
