LAHORE - Former president and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif always ditched and stabbed the PPP in the back in the guise of a friend.

He expressed these views while speaking to executive members of the party as well as ticket holders at Bilawal House on Saturday.

“Now Nawaz Sharif is sending us messages for a meeting but we have decided not to go with him even if he makes offer for taking us to the heavens. He is a self-centered person,” said the PPP co-chairman.

Zardari lambasted Nawaz Sharif for his past behaviour with the PPP. Adiala Jail is being cleaned up but no one knows where Nawaz Sharif will be lodged whether at Adiala or Landhi or anywhere else, he said in the context of impending decision on the criminal references against Nawaz Sharif.

The former president also announced holding five public rallies in Lahore. He said the PML-N formed government on the PPP will. We would not have let the PML-N formed government but we allowed Nawaz Sharif to form the government since PPP wanted continuity of the democratic process in the country.

He said the PML-N had always left the country in a state of bankruptcy and it was the PPP which did rectification and put things in order. Mian sahib is free to go to any country but we have live in Pakistan as such we are much concerned with the well being of the country, he added. Mian sahib does not have democratic mind, he said reminding the past when he put dictator president Pervez Musharraf out of power. He said after ZA Bhutto gave Constitution to Pakistan in 1973, it was his government which introduced the 18th Constitutional amendment that also aimed at countering evil designs of India.

Continuing criticism on Nawaz Sharif, Zardari said, he became ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ (emperor) soon after coming into power and betrayed the PPP at every forum. Nawaz Sharif has no concern with making the country powerful except making himself powerful, he added.

The meeting was participated by PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira, Dr Asim Hussain, Haji Azizur Rahman Chann, Ch Aslam Gill, Israr Butt, Aurengzeb Burki, Rana Farooq and others.  Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the PPP would spring a surprise in the next election. The party has prepared the list of expected candidates for contesting polls in Punjab, he said asking the ticket aspirants to apply for the candidature as per the set process.

Kaira said the workers who stood by the party through thick and thin are true asset and pride of the party. He said the PPP is capable of giving results even in difficult times.

A list of 44 candidates for the Lahore seats was also presented to meeting participants. Among them 14 were aspirants for the national assembly and 30 for the provincial assembly against as many as seats allocated to the assemblies at both level. The parliamentary board of the party will consider and finalise these names on May 5.