Ali Tareen, who is the son of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aide and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) bigwig Jahangir Tareen, was on Monday offered to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in response to a tweet calling Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari “pretty cool”.
“Political differences aside, Aseefa is pretty cool,” Tareen had tweeted after Aseefa’s address to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) jalsa in Multan, which was seen as the formal entry into politics by the daughter of the late former PM Benazir Bhutto and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari.
“Shukriya [thank you] Ali Tareen we welcome you to join PPP [sic],” tweeted a PPP supporter in response to the Multan Sultans co-owner’s praise for Aseefa.
Here’s what the younger Tareen had to say in response:
The tweets came as several netizens took to Twitter to praise Aseefa, who was filling in for her coronavirus positive brother PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, over her maiden public address. Many said she reminded them of her mother Benazir.
Earlier, Aseefa delivered a short and brisk speech. She vowed to stand by her brother “every step of the way”.
She began her speech by heaping scorn on the “selected” government. “Despite the cruelty and oppression by the selected [government], so many of you have gathered here. This selected [government] will have to go!”
She said those who think the opposition will be cowed into submission are mistaken, Geo reported.
Aseefa said that the people had announced their decision and that they wanted PM Imran to “pack up and leave”.
Speaking about her mother, she said Benazir Bhutto had carried on her father’s mission — to establish a welfare state — and faced several setbacks.
“[Former] president Asif Zardari introduced the 18th Amendment and BISP [Benazir Income Support Programme] and fought for the people’s rights,” she said and promised supporters that she would continue their mission and would not back down.
“They think that we are afraid of arrests. If they arrest our brothers, then they should know that every woman of PPP is ready to take up the struggle,” she said.
