Pakistan Peoples Party workers should not get involved in a fight between “two wrestlers”, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari told party workers during a meeting at the Bilawal House on Wednesday.
A participant of the meeting told The Express Tribune that Zardari was addressing party workers and office-bearers of the Rawalpindi division when some of them started chanting “Go Nawaz Go”. The PPP co-chairman requested them not to shout the slogan.
Zardari said the time was ripe for the PPP to work towards a comeback. He told party workers to work hard to win back PPP supports. He said there were secrets he could not share at this time, which if revealed, could cause a political upheaval, another party worker from Rawalpindi division said.
“We protected our country from all kinds of threats and prevented it from becoming a Syria or Libya,” the party worker quoted Zardari as saying.
“Zardari also said that the Supreme Court had allowed former president Pervez Musharraf to leave but Nawaz Sharif had insisted on punishing him,” the worker said.
The former president asked party workers to return to their areas and work hard to whip up support for PPP’s October 18 procession in Karachi.
Earlier on Tuesday, Zardari met with party workers from Lahore division.
One of the Lahore division workers who attended the meeting said several workers told Zardari that his policy of reconciliation was damaging PPP in the Punjab and expressed resentment towards several party policies.
Zardari, however, assured party workers that the PPP would be restored to its original glory in accordance with the vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, he said.
Zardari criticised both Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Referring to Khan, he said several people had built hospitals in the country but that did not make them great politicians. He said Sharif used to criticise the PPP government when he was in the opposition, but once he came to power he realised just how serious the problems were. He said Imran Khan would also get to learn about such problems.
A participant of the meeting said Zardari told workers that he would make Bilawal House (Lahore) a central point of politics and PPP activity. “We will regain our lost position in the Punjab.” Those who used to criticise the PPP government now praise its politics of reconciliation which saved the country and democracy, he said.
Earlier, Admiral (r) Javed Iqbal announced his decision to join the PPP.
On Monday, Zardari offered Eid prayers at Bilawal House with party workers, office bearers and other PPP leaders. After the prayers, the former president met with the PPP workers and exhorted them. Former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gillani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sardar Latif Khosa, Dr Asim Hussain, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Uzair ur Rehman Chann, Fazalur Rehman Butt and Aslam Gull offered prayers alongside Zardari.
On directions of the former president, the sacrificial meat would be distributed among the internally displace persons in Bannu. PPP leaders Sherry Rehman, Rukhsana Bangash, Fauzi Habib, Samina Khalid Ghurki and Mehreen Anwar Raja visited the former president later on Eid day.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2014.
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Isn't there a TWO YEAR restraining period for a FORMER PRESIDENT from indulging in politics? Where is the Supreme Court??