PPP warns govt against Zardari's arrest

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led party says it will fight against govt’s vengeful act at all fronts

LARKANA: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) central executive committee (CEC) has rejected the damning report of a joint investigation team (JIT) that accused the party’s top leaders of money laundering and warned that such ‘vengeful acts’ of the government could lead to dangerous consequences.

In a briefing to media after a meeting held at Larkana’s Naudero House, the PPP leaders – Sherry Rehman, Farhatullah Babar, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Nayyar Bukhari – said the PPP would fight against these tactics at all fronts.

“We warn the government that arrest of the PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari would not lead to favourable consequences. In case of Zardari’s arrest, the subordinate organisations will be issued directions,” said Babar, adding that: “The government would be responsible for everything.”

According to the leaders, the CEC meeting reviewed the current political situation in the country and rejected what it called the “revengeful acts” of the government.

They said the meeting demanded that all efforts to roll back the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) award must be stopped. Such steps can cause irreparable losses to the federation.

The CEC, they said, lamented that the state institutions are going beyond their jurisdictions and urged the parliament to legislate for determining the judiciary’s authorities to take suo motu notices. The complainants do not have a right of appeal in suo motu cases.

they also demanded that the South Punjab province be established.  Talking with reference to the JIT report, they said copies of the report were issued to the media before being provided to the PPP counsels.

The government adviser visits the offices of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that compiled the report.  The JIT report is a tale form the Arabian Nights, they added.

The leader asked as to who was responsible of Mehrangate scandal and who looted money from banks and used it to do political engineering?  Four months have passed but performance of the federal government is zero, they added.

Even today, cases are being registered against the PPP. These are baseless inquiries which create an impression that the judgements have been written in advance. The judgements should be in accordance with the law. We are facing media trial, they said.