‘Experience is experience; Bilawal is inexperienced’: Asif Ali Zardari

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been campaigning across the country, touting his party as the solution to Pakistan’s ills, while also asking “old politicians (babay)” to sit back and allow the new generation to lead from the front in the elections slated to take place on February 8 next year.

The former president of Pakistan and Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure.

“Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.

Zardari said the new generation in every house says, “Dad, you don’t know anything”.

Baba you know nothing
ابا ابا ہوندا اے pic.twitter.com/zypAC7AxRG

— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) November 23, 2023

The former president said the new generation has its own mindset and the right to express itself.

He further stated that if he tried to intervene in their affairs, it would just lead to more mess.

“If Bilawal says, ‘You do politics, I won’t’, then what can I do? People learn over time in politics. I have made several mistakes myself.”

Zardari also mentioned that Bilawal’s narrative would’ve been the same if we were doing business, “You [Zardari] don’t know anything. It’s the same in politics.”

Zardari said during his tenures, there was no political prisoner as he had never resorted to revenge politics. “Every now and then, new allegations were leveled against me, but I never responded to them.”

Speaking about the different mindsets of the top PPP leaders, Zardari stated that there are two parties — PPP and Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP).

Zardari said he is the president of the PPPP, which is authorised to allocate election tickets, while his son Bilawal is chairman of the PPP. “I allocate tickets,” he said.

He also confirmed he has the authority to issue a ticket for Bilawal in the next polls.

Zardari said his party is actively campaigning because it is certain that general elections will take place on February 8, next year.