Bilawal warns of march to Islamabad if Centre takes back JPMC, NICVD.

LARKANA -- Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was established under a 'dictator-tailored black law' but expressed his readiness to appear in the accountability court on a call up notice issued to him for May 29.

Media reports had earlier quoted PPP sources as saying that he might not appear in the court on the date due to his preoccupations.

He was speaking at a press conference at the children hospital within the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) complex where he also inaugurated an emergency room.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari repeaAted his stance that the NAB law was part of political engineering and that the institution was established for political victimisation. 'I think it [the call up notice] is political victimisation,' he said, and referred to former Supreme Court chief justice's remarks that 'Bilawal is innocent...' He pointed out that he had now been summoned in the same case which had drawn the former CJP's such remarks.

'I am ready to face NAB; therefore, I will appear before it,' he said.

'I am ready to appear before NAB on May 29'

The PPP chairman also criticised the federal government over 'unjustified' distribution of resources [gas, water and electricity] among provinces and denial of Sindh's rights. He warned that if the federal government did not withdraw the notification regarding takeover of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and Jinnah PostgAraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), he along with the people of Sindh would hold a march to Islamabad 'to snatch our rights'.

In reply to a question regarding Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) demanding new administrative units within Sindh, Mr Bhutto-Zardari claimed that [Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman] Imran Khan and his allies had agreed during their election campaign on dividing Sindh. 'This point was even incorporated in PTI's manifesto,' he said. But, he added, PPP had the history of standing against any division of Sindh. He said creating a province from with in Sindh was impossible and PPP would continue to oppose it.

'The question does not arise. However, such a voice can be heard from [the part of a province which has a sense of deprivation and whiAch has remained backward, like south Punjab,' he argued.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari alleged that Centre was following a policy of 'divide and rule'. Therefore, he said, people should jointly raise their voice for rights. He...