ISLAMABAD -  Opposition leader Khurshid Shah on Friday said that the Pakistan People’s Party would not save Nawaz Sharif “under any circumstances”.

Reacting to former premier Nawaz Sharif’s statement that PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was “pleasing someone else” by abusing him, Shah said: “Who was Nawaz Sharif pleasing when he [as the PM] cancelled a scheduled meeting with Asif Ali Zardari [after a controversial speech by the PPP leader].”

The opposition leader said the PPP had saved Nawaz Sharif once for the sake of saving democracy when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a mammoth sit-in in Islamabad but “this time, we will not help him.”

Shah said only Nawaz Sharif not the democratic system was in danger.

“He is trying to shift the burden on democracy. In fact Nawaz Sharif himself is the main trouble for democracy,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Nawaz Sharif said Zardari was “abusing me to please someone else.”

Speaking to journalists after appearing before the accountability court, Sharif said he had always made efforts to strengthen democracy.

The accountability court adjourned hearing of corruption references against the Sharif family without any proceeding.

Meanwhile on Friday, PPP Secretary-General Nayyar Bokhari said Nawaz Sharif had done nothing for the democracy.

He said Sharif had run away from the country under a deal with the then military ruler Pervez Musharraf after the 1999 coup.

“We have saved him every time but he has always stabbed us in the back,” he said in a statement.

Separately on Friday, PPP Information Secretary Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed said the PPP was not pleasing anybody but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had a history of betrayals.

He said Nawaz Sharif, instead of claiming credit for strengthening democracy should look at its history.

Ahmed said even the late political leader Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan had mocked Sharif after he “ran away” after striking a deal with Musharraf.

ZARDARI REFUSES TO MEET IRFAN SIDDIQUI

INP adds: Former President Asif Ali Zardari has also refused to meet Adviser to the Prime Minister on National History and Literary Heritage Irfan Siddiqui besides Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.

Reliable sources told this scribe that Irfan Siddiqui, through PPP Senator Dr Qayoom Soomro, had tried to meet Asif Zardari but did not succeed. The meeting was expected in Dubai few weeks ago.

After this information, this news agency contacted Adviser to the Prime Minister on National History and Literary Heritage Irfan Siddiqui, he said that he had received the phone call of Dr Qayoom Soomro that Asif Zardari wanted to talk to him and he had talked to him from 10 to 15 minutes.

Irfan Siddiqui said that Zardari had told him that he (Siddiqui) could contact him (Zardari) for meeting during his Dubai tour.

He said that one month ago he had visited Dubai where he contacted the staff of Asif Zardari including Dr Qayoom Soomro but did not succeed. He said that he wanted to hold a meeting with Zardari.

Irfan Siddiqui said during the PPP government he had met President Zardari for several times and he had no political agenda in Dubai meeting.