LAHORE - PPP-Parliamentarians President Asif Ali Zardari is planning to return to the country in December this year, it has been learnt.

The former President had left the country last year apparently after a tussle with the military establishment. He had issued a hard-hitting statement against the Army Generals, and then the people saw him leaving abroad in few days. 

Party sources confided to The Nation that PPP-P chief was seriously considering returning to Pakistan in the last week of December this year, a week before the 9th death anniversary of slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto. 

His spokesperson Farhatullah Babar could only confirm that Asif Ali Zardari had no immediate plan to come to Pakistan. He was also not sure if he was returning in December this year. 

Zardari’s expected homecoming coincides with the anticipated change of guards in the Pakistan Army. If the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif goes by the book, the country will have a new Army Chief and a Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff committee on December 1st.

Before leaving the country in June last year, Zardari had then threatened to expose General’s corruption claiming he had proofs against them. But instead of executing his threat, he left the country thereafter giving rise to speculation that he had been forced to proceed abroad as a result of strong reaction from the military.   

The party men later had to face a lot of criticism from various quarters about his sudden departure to Dubai which was taken as a sign of weakness on the part of PPP chief. But this gave his son, Bilawal Bhutto, an opportunity to lead the party in his absence though he was guided by his father on key decisions regarding party matters.

A lot has changed at home since the PPP-P chief went into self-exile. All provincial organisations of the party stand dissolved, and new ones are coming to replace them.

Sindh has got a new energetic Chief Minister who seems determined to ensure good governance in the province.