"He's Afraid Of People": Bilawal Bhutto Takes Swipe At Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took a swipe at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Saturday, stating that he is afraid of people, as reported by Dawn.

Addressing a party rally ahead of the February 8 polls in Mirpur Khas on Saturday, Bilawal Bhutto alleged that Nawaz Sharif, who is running for a fourth term as Prime Minister, refuses to engage in a debate with him.

"He's afraid of the people and is seeking rigging, similar to what was done for Imran Khan," Bilawal Bhutto claimed at the party rally.

Bilawal Bhutto took a shot at the former premier, stating that the PML-N had not organised a single rally in Sindh, emphasizing their lack of significant effort in the province during their period in office, reported Dawn.

As the PPP chairman went on to speak further, he accused PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif of rigging the elections for Mirpurkhas.

"He wants to decide the Mirpurkhas results while sitting in Raiwing," he remarked, referring to Nawaz. "He is conspiring about how to usurp Mirpurkhas's vote," Bilawal Bhutto said, according to Dawn.

Bilawal Bhutto stated that the PML-N intended to defeat the PPP candidates and questioned the excited audience whether they would accept it.

Furthermore, he also accused political parties of "taking personal revenge" rather than engaging in politics.

During the rally, he stated that the other parties were pursuing politics of "hate and division" rather than helping the country.

"If we are in politics, it is because we want to help you. If we're competing, it's against poverty, unemployment, and inflation, not any other party," Bilawal Bhutto said.

Addressing a public rally in Rawalpindi last week, Shehbaz Sharif, without naming Bilawal Bhutto, said, "A political leader and my friend said he wanted to have a debate with Nawaz Sharif."

Meanwhile, the PPP chairman took Shehbaz Sharif's 'dare' and proposed three different locations in Sindh for the debate duel.

In a swift response, Bilawal Bhutto took to his X handle and responded to the PML-N stalwart's taunt, saying, "I am ready for debate and [as well as] inspection."

The PPP chairman invited the PML-N supremo to a debate and suggested three locations: Karachi, Gambat Tehsil of Khairpur District, and Tharparkar.

The debate could also be held outside the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi, Bilawal Bhutto said, adding that the healthcare facility provided treatment to over 84,000 Punjab patients last year, which is proof that such facilities are not available in the Punjab hospitals, as reported by Geo News.

Bilawal Bhutto further asked Shehbaz Sharif not to "run away" and confirm a date and location for the debate dual between him and the three-time former prime minister.

The general elections in Pakistan will take place on February 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)