21st Amendment: Need to focus on defeating terrorism, protect Pakistan’s future, says Zardari

PPP co-chairman says they backed government over 21st Amendment because they want to eliminate terrorism

LAHORE: Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday said that all political parties need to unite and together defeat terrorism in order to protect the future of Pakistan, Express News reported.

Zardari, who is also the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman, told party workers at the Bialwal House in Lahore on Sunday that it was not the time to take decisions in haste.

According to a statement, he said that despite differences, their party had extended support to the government over 21^st amendment because of they want to eliminate terrorism.

He said that they were focussing on countering terrorism since elimination of terror was important for safety of future generations.

PPP Punjab chief Manzoor Wattoo said that PPP was not interested in opportunistic politics, and that it was backing the government over 21^st Amendment to safeguard the nation’s future.

Earlier on Sunday, in a meeting with leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Jamaat-e-Islami, Zardari said that politicians should act sagaciously in the current situation. “We supported the 21st Amendment. Despite our differences, we back the government’s stance against terrorism. Our party wants the elimination of terrorism,” he said. He said that it was the government’s responsibility to address the objections raised by Maulana Fazlur Rehman about the amendment.

Revitalising the party

Zardari said that despite numerous attempts by many over the years, the PPP has prevailed because the party was a political entity, and not some company which could be dismantled.

The PPP co-chairman said that had the incumbent government fallen, the gap left behind would not have been in favour of democracy nor the people.

He added that at the height of the Islamabad protests, it looked like fresh elections could be held in a few months. Now, however, elections were only a possibility after two years.

In the intervening period, however, it was important to strengthen the party.

He said that due to security concerns, he was avoiding large public gatherings. But, he assured supports that rallies will soon be staged in Faisalabad and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Zardari also took a swipe at the Imran Khan, criticising the PTI-led administration in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, claiming '[Imran Khan] Niazi's government' had failed in the province.