PPP leader Warraich lashes out at Qureshi, calls him supporter of dictators

Warns Qureshi to refrain from using bad language against Zardari, otherwise the PPP knew how to silence those who did.

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Warraich lashed out at Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Imran Khan on Monday, calling them supporters of dictators, while talking about the former foreign minister’s speech at the Ghotki rally earlier on Sunday.

Warraich said that Pakisan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Imran Khan and Qureshi were both supporters of dictatorships, adding that Qureshi and his father supported Ziaul Haq while Khan had supported Pervez Musharraf’s referendum.

Addressing a press conference at the PPP Punjab secretariat office in Faisal Town, Warraich said that remnants of dictators could not bring any change in the country, but would instead try to bring in another dictator.

Speaking on Qureshi’s claims about Pakistan’s nuclear assets not being safe under President Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP Punjab President ruled out the latter’s allegations and termed it a ploy to raise his personality and that his intention behind the statement was an effort to be seen equal to the president of Pakistan.

He warned Qureshi to refrain from using bad language against Zardari, otherwise the PPP knew how to silence those who did so.

Warraich said Qureshi remained foreign minister for three years and had not raised his reservations about nuclear assets during that time, but rather expressed his satisfaction over the command and control of nuclear assets.

The PPP leader said that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had laid the foundation of nuclear technology and even sacrificed his life for this program, which the late Benazir continued.

He said that Zardari at the time of Benazir’s assassination raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ when the country was at the brink of division.

Warraich further said that strangely Qureshi had spared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) leadership in his speech which strengthened the idea that Qureshi might be planted by the PML-N in PTI to disintegrate it and after its failure; would join the PML-N.

He said that Qureshi while remaining in PPP had never criticized the Sharif brothers and often lauded their work. Warraich said that the Sharifs had purchased Qureshi's services.

During the press conference, Warraich also said that Qureshi himself had gone to Zardari in 2008 and asked him to give him the Chief Minister-ship of Punjab and then later asked him to award him the foreign ministry.

He said that Zardari had given him the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which he shouldn’t forget. He said that in politics if someone like Qureshi forgot the perks which he or she had availed during his or her tenure then they should not criticize when the perks have been withdrawn.

Warraich said that the former foreign minister should be polite instead of using ‘slang’ language against the president. He said that PPP had warned Qureshi if he did not mend his ways then the PPP will take direct action and Qureshi was well aware about PPP worker's response.

He said that there was no truth in ‘PTI's Tsunami’ as people had rejected Qureshi's appeal to quit the assemblies. He said that the world took the former foreign minister’s statement over nuclear assets seriously so PPP had decided to reply to Qureshi's allegations.

Warraich said that the PPP was implementing all resolutions of the joint parliament sessions regarding national issues, including the recently held All Parties Conference and the in-camera session held in May, adding that the Abbottabad commission was working in this regard.

He said that NATO's recent attack on the check post was an open attack on the sovereignty of the country and the Defence Cabinet Committee (DCC) had performed its role well.