LAHORE - President PPP Southern Punjab and former Punjab Governor Makhdum Ahmed Mehmud on Wednesday advised his party leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to support Imran Khan for the next five years to steer the country out of the crisis.

“We should now think about Pakistan. I wish Imran Khan completes his five-year term as Prime Minister”, he said while talking to journalists at his Model Town residence.

Urging Bilawal to side with Imran Khan in the greater national interest, Makhdum said that his (Bilawal’s) entry into the National Assembly was a good omen for country’s politics and democracy.

The former Governor also asked Imran Khan to nominate Bilawal Bhutto as head of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He added that Bilawal Bhutto was the most suitable person for this job because he had the leadership skills to interact with the foreign world and plead Pakistan’s case at international forums.

Responding to a question about Asif Ali Zardari’s election as MNA, he said that the PPP-P President should not have contested the election on National Assembly seat.

“Previously he would summon the meetings of National Assembly as the President and now he would sit in that very Assembly as ordinary member”, he said, adding, that it did not suit his national stature.

Mehmud said that former President Farooq Leghari had also committed the same mistake and was consigned to oblivion afterwards. 

To a question, he said that it was PPP’s designed model of politics which had sustained democracy despite all odds.

Asked if Shah Mehmood Qureshi should be assigned some important role in the new set up, Makhdum said he had left the PPP in 20 minutes time and his entry in the PTI was like the presence of a broiler chicken among a flock of “desi” (local) hen.

Mehmud believed that it will prove a gigantic task for the PTI to get its Speaker elected in the National Assembly if the Opposition parties agreed to field a joint candidate in the form of seasoned and able politicians like Syed Khurshid Shah, Nafeesa Shah and Syed Naveed Qamar.

To a question about creation of South Punjab province, he said that people would now expect the PTI to materialise its slogan of making a new province.

He statred that PTI should move a bill for the necessary constitutional amendment and if the PML-N opposed the bill, it will stand exposed before the electorate.

He also urged the yet to be elected PTI government to announce the Provincial Finance Commission Award as soon as possible to give due financial share to all the districts in accordance with their population and area.

On GDA’s poor performance in elections, Makhdum said Pir of Pagaro had committed the mistake of making alliance with the regional and nationalist parties.

The people in Sindh don’t like the nationalist parties, he said.