ISLAMABAD:
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan held a meeting at Parliament House on Wednesday where they discussed government formation in Gilgit-Baltistan and other issues of common interest.
Senior PPP leader and MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was also present during the meeting. The IPP delegation included Aoun Chaudhry, Gul Asghar Baghor and Munazza Hassan.
According to sources, during the meeting, Bilawal and Khan agreed that PPP and IPP would continue to work together in GB in future. Addressing the media after the meeting, Bilawal thanked the people of GB for supporting the PPP in the recent elections.
Bilawal also thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N for accepting PPP’s electoral mandate in the region. He noted that the PML-N had voted for the PPP-backed candidates for Chief Minister and Speaker of the GB Assembly.
Bilawal also expressed gratitude to IPP for supporting PPP in GB.
He also thanked the MWM and PTI backed members for their support and promised to work collectively to solve the problems faced by the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.
“We will work with everyone to solve the problems of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said.
Commenting on the regional developments, he said that the PPP hoped that the efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir regarding the Iran-US peace deal would succeed.
Bilawal noted that the recent conflict had imposed an economic burden on Pakistan and its people. Referring to Pakistan-Iran relations, Bilawal said ties between the two countries had been strong even before the conflict and were expected to improve.
Bilawal recalled that the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project had been initiated during the presidency of Asif Ali Zardari. He added that once regional conditions improved, the completion of the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project should become a priority.
Responding to a question about remarks attributed to the PML-N, Bilawal said he had never stated that the party “puts its foot forward in difficult times and grabs people by the throat in easy times.”
Regarding the situation in Kashmir, Bilawal expressed concern over the recent developments.
“The situation in Kashmir has worsened. I never wanted to see such days in Kashmir,” he said. He added that the government’s policy on the issue was clear and that the concerns of both the public and protesting groups were known.
