Opposition committed to toppling PTI-led govt: Zardari

Political forces to join hands to prevent 'other forces' from intervening, says PPP co-chairman

ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari, alongside Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, on Thursday, reaffirmed the opposition's commitment to toppling the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led federal government.

"If we [political forces] do not take the matter into our hands, other forces will do it and the government is not capable of calculating the impact that may cause," said Zardari while speaking to the media after the post-budget National Assembly session.



Commenting on the delay that preceded the issuance of production orders, the former president deemed the NA speaker to be 'weak'.

"We have a fair idea that the speaker does not enjoy absolute power because of which we had to compel him to issue the production orders," said the PPP co-chair.

Bilawal also said that the budget would have no legitimacy until the house is complete.

"Every member deserves a chance to represent the public and the house must be complete for the passing of the June 11 budget," he told the media, stating that "failure to do so is equivalent to rigging".

He further said that the opposition had therefore united in securing production orders for MNAs.

"I approached the chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee for Human Rights for production orders for former president Zardari and secured signatures from the opposition to further the cause," he said.

In separate letters, the opposition requested Speaker NA Asad Qaiser to issue production orders for MNAs Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar.

On questions raised by the media underscoring Zardari's absence from the upcoming All Parties Conference (APC), the former president maintained that PPP shall stick to its narrative during the conference.

The father-son duo also agreed that the ruling party must leave the office.

On June 10, Zardari was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hours after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected the pre-arrest bail granted to him and his sister Faryal Talpur in connection with the fake accounts case.

Information regarding the fake accounts came to the fore when an intelligence agency picked up a prominent money changer in an unrelated case.

In December 2015, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) began a discreet investigation into certain bank accounts through which multi-billion rupee transactions had been made. The probe was initially shelved but resumed almost a year and a half later with FIA’s State Bank circle initiating a formal inquiry into the matter.