QUETTA - Former president and Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) chief Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday said Nawaz Sharif decided to organise a public show of PSL final in Lahore to convey a massage of peaceful Punjab, which is a security risk.
On the recent increase in terror strikes, he said India was interfering in Pakistan’s affairs through Afghanistan as insurgency in such a high proportion could not be executed by the latter.
Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Lasbela to condole with former Balochistan Assembly speaker and MPA Abdul Quddoos Bizenjo over the demise of his cousin.
Talking to media representatives on this occasion, the PPPP president said Indian leverage on Afghanistan is glaringly evident from the fact that no such major insurgency could be spearheaded by Kabul.
Asif Ali Zardari said the prime minister had failed to bring the matter of Indian interference into the notice of international powers.
The matter of Indian interference in Pakistan’s affairs must be brought into the notice of the world powers to seek their help in this regard, argued Asif Ali Zardari. He also flayed the MPL-N government for not contacting the world powers to resolve the issue. He said, “It is a failure of the PML-N government that it has not appointed a foreign minister in the four years.”
Recounting the PPP regime’s initiatives for Balochistan, the ex-president remarked the province still stands where they had left as no development is seen for its people.
Lambasting the PML-N government, the PPPP president warned no tranquility can be achieved by dividing and isolating people in the country. He underlined the need to untie the people of Balochistan, establish industries and offer jobs to the youth of the province.
The former president recalled the PPP regime had introduced the 18th Amendment under which all powers were surrendered and given to the provinces voluntarily, adding this step aimed at ultimately strengthening the federation.
He said the flawed policies of some narrow-minded friends in the past had angered the people of the province, adding PPP had strived to heal the Balochistan wounds in its five-year tenure, but still a daunting challenge was looming ahead in this regard.
“Balochistan people are distressed,” asserted the PPPP president, stressing the need for joint efforts to address the problems of the province.
The PPP approved Balochistan Package under which thousands of jobless youth were hired, Zardari recalled.
Responding to a query, the PPPP president said, “I have never hunted a partridge and you are talking of loin.” Zardari said he had come to Lasbela for condolence and not for doing politics.
Responding to another question about Irfanullah Marwat, he said he had relations with Marwat when he lived in Karachi and had also remained part of PPP in the past, but matters of his joining PPP had not so far been discussed. Some friends spread a rumour on Twitter about his meeting with Irfanullah Marwart, Zardari clarified. He added a decision about anyone’s joining the party is taken by the CEC.
INP adds from Hub: Former president Asif Ali Zardari said it was wrong to say that India was not involved in acts of terrorism in Pakistan.
Talking to media persons here, he said since his coming to power, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, owing to his narrow thinking, failed to know how to draw the attention of international forces to incidents of terrorism in Pakistan.
He said PPP has called an all parties conference and a decision about extension in military courts would be taken with consensus.
Answering a question, Zardari said political forces will have to sit together to take a decision on the forthcoming population census because presence of foreigners is not acceptable to the people of Balochistan as their enrolment will change the whole constituencies. He said if Afghan refugees are enrolled, it will change the culture and customs of Balochistan.
In a lighter vein, the former president said more than 50,000 Bangladeshis would come to Balochsitan if a hint was given to them for settlement.
