LAHORE - PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali on Wednesday blasted his political opponents, saying they were not capable of leading the country.
“What I conceive and do five years before, they think of doing it much later,” he said while addressing the PPP workers from Lahore who called on him at Bilawal House here.
Zardari accused ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of destroying democracy and the institutions for his personal interests. According to him, Imran Khan had no vision to set the direction for country’s internal and external policies.
Talking about merger of Fata into the KP province, he said it was Benazir Bhutto who first took the case of Fata in the court of law.
He deplored that smaller provinces were not getting the benefits of 18th amendment. “We had passed the 18th amendment for the entire Pakistan and not for one province only,” he said.
Accusing Mian Nawaz Sharif of harming democracy, Zardari said that Pakistan’s politics was passing through a difficult time. “Mian Nawaz Sharif has harmed democracy to a greater extent. He himself broke the toy while he blames others for the same,” he observed, adding that it seemed that no one loved the nation.
He believed that Pakistan was being run like a public limited company by the present rulers. “It is not a public limited company; it is a nation and a country,” he maintained, adding that PPP will raise Pakistan on strong footings [after coming into power].
Assuring that PPP will create a separate province for south Punjab, the PPP leader said that both Nawaz and Imran had opposed the Janoobi Punjab province in the past.
He also vowed to restore Pakistan’s previous status in the comity of nations after coming into power.
In his speech, Zardari also supported the cause of Kashmiri people and said that Pakistan will have to stand with them in their struggle for the right to self-determination. “During my term in power, the situation at the borders was under control,” he added.
Turning to the PTI chief Imran Khan, he said Khan had no clear vision about country’s foreign policy and internal matters.
“No one knows for certain where Imran is standing politically at the moment,” he remarked.
Narrating some points of party’s election manifesto, the PPP leader said that Urea fertilizer would be supplied to famers at the rate of Rs500 per bag while ration cards will be given to the poor in cities. He said Lahore was the biggest and famous city of Punjab and PPP will take good care of it [after coming into power].
Also, President PML-N Tehsil Mailsi(Vehari district), Muhammad Imran Khichhi and ex-deputy commissioner Akbar Khan called on the PPP chief and announced to join his party. Faisal Saleh Hayat and Ch Manzoor were also present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto reached Lahore on Thursday evening. He is scheduled to address a workers’ convention at NA-135 on May 6. Amjad Jutt is the PPP candidate from this constituency.
ZARDARI, SHERRY CONDEMN TORTURE OF JOURNALISTS
Staff Reporter from Islamabad adds: Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday strongly condemned the torture of journalists in Islamabad for taking a rally to mark the World Press Freedom Day.
In a statement, he said, “this torture raised several questions. The time to stifle the press has long gone. The Pakistan People’s Party has always respected freedom of press and freedom of expression and the party strongly condemns this act of suppression.”
PPP Vice President and Opposition Leader in Senate Sherry Rehman also condemned the crackdown on the journalists. “It is extremely shocking to see government’s crackdown on a peaceful rally in Islamabad on World Press Freedom Day. The journalists who were beaten even included women. We need answers by the government now,” she said.