ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party yesterday said the vilification campaign against former President Asif Ali Zardari was nothing new. Amir Fida Paracha, the spokesperson to Asif Ali Zardari, claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan and company were issuing statements against Zardari to hide their failures and incompetency.

In a statement, he said that Imran Khan had made tall claims in his election campaign but the government had failed to fulfill and promise.

“Where is South Punjab province, his government has delivered nothing to the people except price hike. Gas and power tariffs have been increased and so have the problems of the people,” he said.

Paracha said that burden of debt of Rs 2800 billion had been put on the people of Pakistan since this government was installed. “Imran Khan and company should stop its drama and help people to come out of this poverty trap,” he added. He said false and fictitious stories were spread in the past against Zardari but the courts released him. “All such people will have to face embarrassment and failure once again,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, a 4-member delegation of the European Parliament Committee for relations with South Asia called on PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari here yesterday.

The European Parliamentary delegation comprised of Jean Lambert, Wajid Khan, Sajjad Karim and George Mayer. EU Ambassador in Islamabad Jean-François Cautain was also present in the meeting.

Chairman PPP was assisted by Nayyar Bokhari Secretary General PPP, Senator Sherry Rehman, Nafisa Shah, Senator Mustafa Khokhar and Farhatullah Babar.

“Issues of mutual interest including compliance by Pakistan with GSP Pus obligations and core international human rights conventions, freedom of expression and other human rights issues came under discussion,” said a PPP statement.

Separately, PPP’s Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar yesterday expressed his deep concerns over the kidnapping of Superintendent Police Mohammed Tahir Dawar who went missing in Islamabad two days ago.

Senator Khokhar demanded of Prime Minister Imran Khan to relinquish his office as Interior Minister because he holds this portfolio as well.

He also advised him to provide relief to the people instead of bad-mouthing Asif Ali Zardari. He asked that if SP was not safe in the capital then what was the future of a common man. He demanded of the government to immediately recover SP Tahir Dawar.