ISLAMABAD - Former President Asif Ali Zardari said that Pakistan People’s Party could support a move to topple the PTI-led government, saying ‘Islamabad is the city of conspiracies’.

Speaking at a news conference here, Zardari, who is the PPP Co-Chairman, said that the federal government had completely failed even before reaching the 100-day milestone.

Asked if the PPP will support any ‘conspiracy’ to dislodge the PTI-led government, he said: “We will see. Islamabad is the city of conspiracies.”

Zardari said that all the parties should move a joint resolution that this government is ineligible and will not be able to run the country.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged that the opposition parties were conspiring against the government and depicting a picture of ‘doom and gloom’.

His comments came as the opposition parties mocked him for taking ‘u-turns’ since he took over power in August. After forming the federal government, Imran Khan-led PTI had pledged to bring a ‘change.’

There has been massive criticism against government after Imran Khan and Finance Minister Asad Umar announced to borrow money from international financial institutions to improve the country’s economy. Opposition parties refer to the PTI’s promises in the election campaign that borrowing money was against the integrity of the nation.

Zardari claimed he was not a beneficiary of National Reconciliation Ordinance promulgated by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, as, he said, cases against him had been revived by the Supreme Court.

“(If Imran Khan is saying that there will be no NRO) I am not a beneficiary of any NRO in the past also. I was cleared by the courts later. They (the government) are using NAB as a tool to victimise the opposition. Nobody from the government is being touched,” the PPP leader said.

Zardari said he was not sure if former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif benefited from the NRO. “I don’t know if he (Nawaz) was granted any relief under the NRO. I faced the cases in the courts,” he quipped, adding, “The Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders benefitted from it (the NRO).”

Asked as to why he was not in favour of joining hands with Nawaz Sharif, Zardari said: “There are so many reasons. I can’t count them all. For example, the cases that I am facing these days are all filed by them (Nawaz Sharif’s previous government). However, cooperation (between him and Sharif) is still possible.”

When asked why the PPP was criticising the NAB when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government and the PPP had appointed Javed Iqbal as the NAB chairman with consensus during Sharif’s government, he said: “I am not blaming the NAB chairman. I am questioning the (present) government’s policies.”

Zardari said Pakistan was an agro-industrial country and the PPP had made policies accordingly when it was in power in 2008-13. “We have to ask ourselves. Are we an industrial country or an agro-industrial country? In my view, we are an agro-industrial country. We made futuristic policies but Nawaz Sharif discarded them. And now we have a Prime Minister-select (Imran Khan),” he remarked.

He regretted that nobody in Pakistan had decided about making futuristic policies according to the country’s growing population which he claimed was about 300 million.

Zradari said that his party gave much to Pakistan like cementing Pak-China friendship, Gwadar port and strong democracy.

Earlier, Zardari addressed the People’s Lawyers Forum’s convention. Reading out a statement after the convention, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bokhari said: “Recognising unprecedented services and sacrifices rendered by founder of PPP Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and the valiant struggle and sufferance of Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto, Shahnawaz Bhutto and the innumerable heroic workers who were martyred and incarcerated.”

He urged the apex court and the Parliament to provide the right of appeal under Article 184(3) of the Constitution to comprehensively safeguard the rights of the people, Bokhari said.

“We reiterate and reaffirm the principles of democracy, empowerment of People of Pakistan through provincial autonomy as enforced through the unanimously-passed 18th Amendment to the Constitution and demand its implementation in letter and spirit,” he said.

The PLF praised the role of the Armed Forced and the sacrifices of officers and soldiers in the operation Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasad (elimination of strife).

The PLF called for speedy justice. “Justice delayed is justice denied. It is a matter of grave concern that the pendency of cases for over decades has assumed an alarming proportion and hence the need of a regular judicial system in the hierarchy headed by the Supreme Court and a Constitutional Court has become imminent and appropriate legislation as envisaged by the PPP manifesto,” Bokhari said.

The appointment in the judiciary, he said, had noticeably not brought about the desired results which require a competitive and transparent induction of the best legal brains in administration of justice and necessary amendments in law and Constitution be made by the appropriate authorities or legislatures to ensure a competitive, merit based mechanism.

He alleged that NAB had been acting in a very arbitrary, whimsical, capricious, discriminatory and autocratic manner. “Even the Supreme Court time and again had noticed that NAB has no right to disgrace, humiliate and scandalise any person as compliant verification, inquiry or investigation and even trial don’t warrant any inference of guilt unless so judicially determined. Warrants of arrest by NAB are issued only against leaders of opposition while the ruling elite are exempted obviously leading to the inference that NAB is partisan which this house condemns and demands enforcement of Article 4, 9, 14 and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973,” he said.

Bokhari said that the present government had in the very short span of time exposed its complete incapacity to regulate the affairs of the state. He said that the PPP being the architect of the Constitution with the PLF being its intellectual and legal wing has been seeking justice in the case of its founder father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

“The reference of Asif Ali Zardari for revisiting the case involving curative, remedial and complete justice while the entire nation till date bemoans his death, this house fervently beseeches the Chief Justice to ensure early hearing and remedying the wrong inflicted upon law, Constitution and the people of Pakistan,” he said.

The PLF Pakistan comprising its office bearers, from all over Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir reposed full confidence in PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.