Patriotic duty: Peoples Party backed Nawaz to save democracy, says Zardari
Former president vows to reorganise the PPP in Punjab
LAHORE:
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said on Saturday he and the party had supported the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the ongoing political battle to save democracy.
He was speaking to PPP workers and office-bearers at Bilawal House. PPP workers from Lahore and southern Punjab met the former president separately to discuss party affairs.
“Many workers seemed unhappy about the PPP’s support for the PML-N and shared their dismay with Zaradri,” said a PPP office-bearer after attending the meeting.
“Zardari sahib addressed their apprehensions. He said he had sided with the PML-N for the sake of democracy,” he told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity.
He said the former president was committed to reorganising the PPP in the Punjab. “He said he would restore the party to its traditional strength in the province.”
“Zardari said he had built Bilawal House in Lahore so that he could remain in touch with party leaders and workers in the province,” he said.
“Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Siraul Haq told me that flags of only two parties were seen in his village – the JI and the PPP. The PPP is the largest political party in the country. It enjoys mass support from Kashmir in the north to small river islands in Sindh,” the party official quoted Zardari as saying.
“Referring to Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan, Zardari said their kids were foreign nationals and that they were making space for them… our kids have to live in this country,” another PPP member present at the meeting said.
He said the PPP co-chairman invited PPP office-bearers’ recommendations for reorganising and strengthening the party.
PPP Lahore information secretary Faisal Mir said when PPP workers went to Karachi to join a rally, they should be provided some printed material on the party’s ideology so that they could share it with more and more people.
“Zardari assured workers that he would reorganise the PPP in the province. He said he favoured reconciliation and tolerance on politics,” Mir told The Express Tribune.
Senior vice president Zahid Zulfiqar expressed concern over the PPP’s reconciliation policy towards the PML-N.
During his meeting with party workers and office-bearers from southern Punjab, Zardari vowed to take all-out steps to restore its stature in the region.
“The co-chairman told us he would once again make southern Punjab a stronghold of the party,” a part official said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2014.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said on Saturday he and the party had supported the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the ongoing political battle to save democracy.
He was speaking to PPP workers and office-bearers at Bilawal House. PPP workers from Lahore and southern Punjab met the former president separately to discuss party affairs.
“Many workers seemed unhappy about the PPP’s support for the PML-N and shared their dismay with Zaradri,” said a PPP office-bearer after attending the meeting.
“Zardari sahib addressed their apprehensions. He said he had sided with the PML-N for the sake of democracy,” he told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity.
He said the former president was committed to reorganising the PPP in the Punjab. “He said he would restore the party to its traditional strength in the province.”
“Zardari said he had built Bilawal House in Lahore so that he could remain in touch with party leaders and workers in the province,” he said.
“Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Siraul Haq told me that flags of only two parties were seen in his village – the JI and the PPP. The PPP is the largest political party in the country. It enjoys mass support from Kashmir in the north to small river islands in Sindh,” the party official quoted Zardari as saying.
“Referring to Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan, Zardari said their kids were foreign nationals and that they were making space for them… our kids have to live in this country,” another PPP member present at the meeting said.
He said the PPP co-chairman invited PPP office-bearers’ recommendations for reorganising and strengthening the party.
PPP Lahore information secretary Faisal Mir said when PPP workers went to Karachi to join a rally, they should be provided some printed material on the party’s ideology so that they could share it with more and more people.
“Zardari assured workers that he would reorganise the PPP in the province. He said he favoured reconciliation and tolerance on politics,” Mir told The Express Tribune.
Senior vice president Zahid Zulfiqar expressed concern over the PPP’s reconciliation policy towards the PML-N.
During his meeting with party workers and office-bearers from southern Punjab, Zardari vowed to take all-out steps to restore its stature in the region.
“The co-chairman told us he would once again make southern Punjab a stronghold of the party,” a part official said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2014.