ISLAMABAD - Former president Asif Ali Zardari believes ousted premier Nawaz Sharif was staging “a drama” and trying to politicise his court appearances, close aides said.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders - who have been in contact with Zardari since Sharif arrived from London on Monday vowing to appear before the courts and face cases - told The Nation that Zardari did not consider Sharif’s return “heroic”.

“He is trying to win public support by posing as a victim. The fact is that he is doing no heroic job by deciding to appear before the courts. This is something he is bound to do,” a PPP leader quoted Zardari as saying.

Zardari’s spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said there had been rumours of a “deal” behind Sharif’s return but there was no evidence so far over those claims.

“Nawaz Sharif should learn from the PPP leadership on how to respect the courts. He has cases pending against him so he must appear before the courts,” he told The Nation.

Senator Babar said that if Sharif had decided not to return, he would have been declared an absconder. “The only chance he has got to prove the cases against him as political is to fight the cases,” he added.

The PPP’s opposition leader in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah welcomed Nawaz Sharif’s decision to return and face the corruption cases against him.  Shah said that Sharif should face the cases now. “It is good that Nawaz Sharif is back. He should come out clean now. He should face the cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, on Monday, PPP Secretary-General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari said the PPP wanted assemblies to complete their terms. “Prime ministers can be changed in governments during a tenure,” he said in a statement.

The PPP leader said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, Imran Khan, lacked political maturity. “It is the prerogative of leader of the house to ask for dissolution of assembly and after the 18th amendment, every assembly is [a] sovereign entity and the chief ministers have the right to ask for dissolution of their respective assemblies, if they feel the necessity for it,” he added.

Bokhari said that the PPP had sacrificed for democracy. “(The) PTI and its leadership have no feeling for democracy,” he said.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a PPP delegation led by Faisal Karim Kundi met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman here, seeking the JUI-F’s support for the NA-4 Peshawar by-election.  The PPP has awarded ticket to Asad Gulzar Khan to contest NA-4 by-election on October 26th. The seat fell vacant due to the death of the PTI lawmaker, Gulzar Khan.

After the meeting, the PPP’s Qayum Soomro told journalists that the talks were “positive”. “Another meeting will be held soon to discuss the cooperation further. We are hopeful of winning the JUI-F support,” he said.

Soomro said that the PPP was aiming to field Asad Gulzar Khan as joint candidate of opposition parties.