Zardari appeals all democrats to protect 18th Amendment

Ex-president renews commitment to defend parliamentary system

KARACHI/PESHAWAR:

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Zardari said on Monday all the democratic parties in the country must protect the 18th Constitutional Amendment, stressing that the PPP would not compromise on supremacy of parliament and people’s empowerment.

In his message on the 54th foundation day of the PPP, Zardari said that the party remained steadfast on the “philosophy and manifesto” of its founder. He repeated the old PPP slogan, “Islam is our religion, socialism is our economy, democracy is our politics and the source of power is the people.”

“Quaid-e-Awam Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheed fought for the parliamentary system in the country and gave the country a parliamentary system,” Zardari said. “Today, we renew our commitment to fully defend the parliamentary system.”

Zardari, who was the president when the 18th Amendment was passed, said that its passage was the fulfilment of the mission of late prime minister Benazir Bhutto and “revenge on the enemies of democracy” in a democratic manner. “All democrats have a duty to protect the 18th Amendment.”

He said that today, the PPP was resisting two kinds of ideologies -- one of those who hate democracy and the other of the extremists who were trying to impose their will on the people. He emphasised that whenever the PPP came to power it was through the “strength and votes” of the people. “Therefore, our priority is to make people’s lives easier.”

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Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Peshawar, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari, said that the PPP would celebrate the foundation day on Tuesday (today) in all the provinces on the instructions of its Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

“The PPP was founded to solve the problems facing the people,” Bukhari told the press conference, which was also attended by Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani, PPP Central Spokesperson Faisal Karim Kundi, Provincial President Najamuddin Khan, Asma Alamgir and others.

Commenting on the prevailing political situation in the country, Bukhari said that the PPP would take all constitutional and legal measures to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. “If Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif steps forward, Imran Khan’s government will fall,” he added.

“The PPP was founded to resolve the problems facing the people. At present, the country faces the some problems it confronted in 1967. The situation is the same today. If we come to power, we will resolve the problems of the masses,” he added.

Responding to a question about the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Bukhari said that the opposition alliance was not the same after the exit of the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP). “We formed the PDM but we did not leave it. PDM is no longer the PDM without the PPP and the ANP.”

The PPP secretary general said that the opposition achieved successes only because of the firm stand taken by the PPP. “No party can compete with the PPP,” he said. “If the opposition leader takes the stand and comes forward, Imran government can be sent packing.”

He criticised the Peshawar administration for denying permission to the PPP for holding rally in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital. “They had given permission to the chief minister to hold the rally but we were denied the permission,” he said.