ISLAMABAD - Former president Asif Ali Zardari has summoned an important meeting of the Pakistan People’s Party senior leaders in Dubai tomorrow (December 10th) to discuss the option of early elections, political sources said.
Zardari had earlier met Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief Tahirul Qadri in Lahore and supported his stance on the Model Town massacre.
The PPP co-chairman had hinted of a political alliance with the PAT saying: “We will see about the political deal if Tahirul Qadri gives a signal.”
The former president had also requested Qadri to talk to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan in this regard.
At his meeting with Qadri, Zardari demanded immediate resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif as well as provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah. “Shehbaz Sharif will not be tolerated anymore. We can start protests against the PML-N [Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz],” he warned.
PPP sources said Zardari would discuss the future line of action and the possible joint movement for early elections along with the PTI and the PAT.
“We will discuss the option of a combined opposition movement for early elections. This of course will not be an election alliance,” a close aide of the PPP co-chairman told The Nation.
He said all the senior leaders of the PPP were summoned to Dubai. “Bilawal [Bhutto Zardari] is also in Dubai but he may return before the main meeting. He will only stay in [if] Zardari asks him to otherwise he will return tomorrow [December 9] or the day after [December 10],” the PPP leader said.
He added: “Bilawal and Zardari have discussed the possibilities in Dubai and are on the same page.” The PPP leader said Zardari would also have a medical check-up during his stay abroad.
Meanwhile, PPP’s Senator Rehman Malik on Friday strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
In a statement, Malik said that it was another fresh conspiracy against the whole Muslim world.
He said that recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has hurt Muslims across the world as Jerusalem was holy place for all the Muslims. The lawmaker, a former interior minister, said that conspiracies against Islam would continue to increase. He said the US wanted to install Israel for monopoly in the Middle East and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for monopoly in Asia, while as a matter of fact “both are anti-Islam and known for butchering Muslims.”
Senator Malik suggested the Muslim countries must show one gesture together to boycott all diplomatic functions of the US, and also the heads and ministers of Muslim countries across the world should suspend their scheduled visits to US for one month in protest.
He said that he wished President Donald Trump had used his influence to resolve the Palestine issue instead of creating more tension and adding fuel to the fire.
The senator said that President Trump should have respected and appreciated the respect and honour he received as chief guest in the meeting of the Muslims, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He said that Trump instead of following the path of “interfaith harmony” was creating a wedge within the faiths by his anti-Islam policies.
Senator Malik had asked the US people to pressurise Trump to take back his “hurtful decision.”
In a separate statement, PPP parliamentary leader in Senate Taj Haider on Friday said the “nexus between American imperialism, Zionism and Brahminism was the greatest threat to peace and justice in the world.”
Senator Haider recalled it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who in 1974 had united the whole World of Islam behind the cause of liberation of Al-Quds Sharif in the Islamic Conference of Lahore in 1974.
“In fact Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had continuously mobilised the entire Third World on the just cause of the liberation of Palestinian people. We must beware of all such forces that are trying to divide us on sectarian or other such lines since our unity is our greatest strength,” he said.
Haider said the US president had dug a dagger deep in the hearts of all freedom-loving people, which included the right-thinking people of America.
“This criminal and extremist step of American imperialism promotes counter extremism. Our approach should be one of mobilising the world community for our just cause through the soundness and eloquence of our logic and our peaceful conduct not only in our respective countries but on all representative forums of the world,” he added.
Senator Haider expressed his firm belief that the awaited day of freedom of the entire Palestine was not far.
“Nations cannot be subjugated. Rights can no longer be denied. We live in a highly conscious world that desires peace and justice for the entire humanity. Handful of crazy warmongers can never succeed in plunging humanity in senseless conflicts through their evil rhetoric,” he said.