Bilawal Urges Fazlur Rehman to Condemn Terrorism, Announces Electoral Reforms Committee
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday told the Karsaz anniversary gathering in Karachi that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman could play a role in ending terrorism and settling the row over the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Bilawal was addressing an event in Karachi marking the anniversary of the Karsaz tragedy, where he urged the JUI-F chief to openly condemn terrorist activities, noting that members of his own party had also lost their lives in terror attacks. He said Fazl could not deny the presence of terrorism in Balochistan and KP.
What Bilawal said at the Karsaz anniversary
The PPP chairman said the federal government had been compelled to impose emergency measures in KP because of the security situation. He asked political parties not to criticise counterterrorism steps without weighing the challenges the country faced.
He stressed that the PPP had always imposed such measures through constitutional and legal means. The emergency was imposed in KP on October 11 after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the move on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
Bilawal invited the opposition to sit down with the government if it genuinely wanted to end terrorism and the KP emergency. He also announced that the federal government had decided to set up an electoral reforms committee and invited opposition parties to take part in its work.
Criticism of KP chief minister
Taking aim at KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who stands dysfunctional under the emergency measures, Bilawal said the provincial chief executive had refused to cooperate with the federal government and was not prepared to confront terrorism. He added that the PPP was ready to fight the menace.
“We will collectively confront terrorists,” he said, adding that the armed forces were making sacrifices for the country’s security. Both houses of parliament, he said, should work together against terrorism, and the fight would continue until the militants were eliminated.
Although the PPP is not part of the government, Bilawal said, his party was trying to deliver on its manifesto.
Why the Karsaz anniversary matters
The event marked the anniversary of one of the darkest days in Pakistan’s democratic history. On October 18, 2007, twin bomb blasts ripped through a procession welcoming former prime minister Benazir Bhutto back to Karachi after eight years in self-imposed exile. More than 180 people were killed and hundreds injured in the attack on her homecoming.
Bilawal described the tragedy as a painful chapter in the history of sacrifices made for democracy, saying it could never be forgotten.
Backdrop: Fazl’s criticism and Naqvi’s remarks
Bilawal’s comments came after Maulana Fazlur Rehman criticised the federal government over the emergency and governor’s rule in KP. The JUI-F chief has been one of the loudest voices against the move.
On Friday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had claimed that the head of a political party was “deeply upset” at not being given the KP governorship or a role in the governor’s rule arrangement. Without naming the politician, Naqvi said the person had relied on the establishment’s support for decades to stay in politics and should argue with facts rather than, in his words, “indecent language and accusations”.
FAQ
What did Bilawal say at the Karsaz anniversary?
Bilawal said Maulana Fazlur Rehman could play a role in ending terrorism and addressing the KP governor’s rule situation. He urged Fazl to openly condemn terrorism, invited the opposition to talks, and announced an electoral reforms committee.
When did the Karsaz tragedy happen?
The Karsaz tragedy took place on October 18, 2007, when twin bomb blasts struck the procession welcoming Benazir Bhutto back to Karachi. More than 180 people were killed.
When was emergency imposed in KP?
The federal government imposed emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11, 2026, after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the move on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
What is the electoral reforms committee?
Bilawal announced that the federal government had decided to establish an electoral reforms committee and invited opposition parties to participate in its work. Details of its composition have not been announced yet.
