KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said on Sunday that he was against police encounters anywhere in the country, adding the trend was not a solution to anything.

“I demand [a complete] ban on such encounters in the country because terrorism can’t be curbed with such policies,” Bilawal said while addressing a news conference in connection with the launch of the party’s membership drive.

At the same time, Bilawal said that former Malir SSP Rao Anwar also has the right to a transparent investigation.

The PPP chairman also ruled out the possibility of delay in the Senate election scheduled for March. “The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will be given another jolt in the upcoming election on half-of-the-seats of the upper house.”

Bilawal urged people, especially youth and women, to fill the membership form and join the ideological force working for a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Pakistan.

Elaborating the membership drive, Bilawal said that the membership campaign will be conducted door-to-door, through camps and also by utilisating modern communication technology like the internet and cellular modes.

A website: www.pppmember.com and SMS, will also offer membership options to reach out to the masses, whose massive majority was against extremism and politics of hatred, he added.

The PPP chairman said that the membership drive has been designed to reduce the gap between him and party workers, adding that following the successful completion of the drive he would be able to communicate directly with the workers and the members through the modern communication means.

Bilawal said the PPP launched the BISP in the center and now the Sindh government has started anti-poverty programme at Union Council levels where lending of interest-free loans to the rural poor, especially the women has pulled 600,000 families out of poverty.

He said the 18th Amendment, devolution of powers and NFC Award were also enacted in a bid to discourage extremism and promote democratic and democracy values.

He said, “Under the philosophy of service-oriented politics, we have provided state-of-the-art health facilities including free heart treatment at four Satellite Hospitals of NICVD in Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Larkan and Sehwan Sharif.”