Pakistan Views

Co-chairman, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari has said he along with all party leaders, office-bearers and members would donate blood on June 21, the birthday of Shaheed chairperson Benazir Bhutto to pay homage to the great leader whose valiant struggle and sacrifice won the nation democracy.

Zardari was addressing Sindh cabinet members at a dinner hosted by him in their honour at Bilawal House here on Sunday evening, said a statement issued on Sunday. Dilating on political issues Asif Zardari said we welcomed the long marchers to Islamabad because we are democratic otherwise it is history that no government allowed a rally of even 1,000 in the Federal Capital but we allowed 30,000 people to march into Islamabad to exercise their democratic rights.

He said it would again be PPP alone to send General Musharraf home but it would be done at PPP’s own choice of time. We want to give a walk away to Musharraf, he said.

The PPP co-chairman said his party will change the system adding that it was sagacious politics of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, which made President Pervez Musharraf shed his uniform and hold elections. Senator Asif Zardari said we are answerable to Garhi Khuda Bux, to party workers and to the people, nobody else.

Zardari said party ticket was awarded to his sister Faryal Talpur on NA-207 because Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had made her a trustee for her (Benazir’s) children.

He asked the Sindh Ministers to serve the people as party has got the power after long sacrifices and keep in mind that when PPP is in power people feel empowered. Senator Zardari said that there is weak performance on the part of government in Sindh and directed for a formula to make some Ministers responsible for each division and hold them accountable before elected representatives.

He said enemies have not ended enmity as yet but we don’t have to show our bravery now because we have already shown it while were in jails. Senator Zardari said his dialogue is with the whole world and all those having stakes because he wants to change the system to avenge the assassination of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

Later, the Zardari replied to questions from Sindh Cabinet Ministers. Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Senior Minister and PPP Parliamentary Party leader in Sindh Assembly, Pir Mazhar-ul- Haq, Makhdoom Jameel- uz- Zaman, Rafiq Engineer, Manzoor Wassan, Murad Ali Shah, Ms Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto, Ms Nargis N.D. Khan, Ms. Shazia Marri, Dr Khatumal Jeewan, Ismail Dahri and others also attended the dinner. Bilawal House spokesman Ijaz Durrani and Surendar Valasai were also present on the occasion.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari felicitated the leadership of lawyers on the successful and organized holding of Long March.

Asif Zardari said in a statement issued here, PPP has always supported the independent judiciary, adding all the pledges given by former PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto will be fulfilled without fail.

He congratulated the lawyers on very organized Long March.

PPP has withdrawn its candidates from Constituency NA-52, 55 and PP-10 to extend complete support to the PML-N candidates contenting in the upcoming by-elections. Decision to this regard was made by the party on the directive of PPP Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, said Sultan Mehmood Qazi member central Executive Committee CEC of PPP while addressing a press conference at the Rawalpindi Press Club here on Tuesday. PML-N candidate from NA-55 Haji Pervez Khan also addressed the Press conference on the occasion.Qazi Sultan said that Zardari has directed all the subordinate party organizations and party workers to take active part in the electoral campaign of the PML-N candidates in these constituencies.Captain Safdar, the son in Law of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Haji Pervez Khan are contesting from NA-52 and 55 respectively, while President of PML-N Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is contesting elections from PP-10.
Qazi said Zumurad Khan, Aamir Fida Piracha, Agha Riaz ul Islam and Rashid Mir were united under the banner of the party leadership as there were no differences among them, he added. Addressing on the occasion the PML-N candidate from NA-55 Haji Pervez Khan said that he was the actual candidate of the party being backed and supported by the party leadership, saying Ejaz Khan Jazi has not been given ticket by the party high command adding Jazi has been violating the party discipline and rules by dubbing himself being the party ticket holder, which he said was totally wrong and contrary to the fact.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday to hold talks with Saudi leadership on current political and economic situation in Pakistan. They would hold talks with Saudi King Abdullah to seek investment in Pakistan’s agricultural sector, enhance bilateral trade and provide oil against deferred payments.
Earlier, on his way to Saudi Arabia, Gilani talking to mediamen on board, said that Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was still a part of the government and would rejoin the cabinet soon. However, he said that he could not give any deadline for their rejoining the cabinet.
Gilani said that he had been invited by the Saudi government and he would hold talks on different issues including bilateral trade. The Prime Minister said that he would hold talks with Saudi government for provision of oil against deferred payments but he did not know what would be the outcome of these talks.

Senior PPP leader and top lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan has said he believes most of the allegations of corruption against party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari were justified, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

Ahsan, who has had differences with Zardari over the issue of reinstating judges deposed by President Pervez Musharraf during last year’s emergency, said he believed the expenses of the party chief were not from sources that could be "lawfully explained" for.

Asked by The New York Times how many of the allegations of corruption against Zardari he believed were justified, Ahsan replied: "Most of them. "The type of expenses that he has are not from sources of income that can be lawfully explained and accounted for," he added in an interview published in the daily’s magazine section.

Ahsan spoke "admiringly of Benazir Bhutto’s courage and steadfastness". In recent weeks, Ahsan has spoken out several times against the PPP’s perceived reluctance to restore the deposed judges.

"You can’t have a democracy without an independent judiciary," he told The New York Times. "And you can certainly not construct a parliamentary structure on the debris of the judicial edifice." Ahsan, who is also president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, is expected to play a key role in the "long march" to be launched by the lawyers’ movement from June 10 to press for the restoration of the deposed judges.

In the past few days, he has been part of the entourage that has accompanied deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on visits to various bar associations. When the PPP’s top leadership recently travelled on a flight from Karachi to Sukkur to visit party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s grave at Gari Khuda Baksh, Ahsan was approached by Law Minister Farooq Naek, who asked him to "mute his harsh criticism of Zardari and the party".

The constitutional packages was finalized Saturday after Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari granted approval to it. Federal Minister for Law, Farooq H Naek will himself hand over the copy of the 62-point constitutional package to Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif on Sunday, sources said.Its copy has already been sent to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI).

Co-chairman Pakistan People’s Party Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif in their maiden meeting after London talks would discuss the proposed constitutional package today (Tuesday). Both leaders would discuss the proposed constitutional package and national political situation in the meeting, likely to be held at Punjab House at 4 pm today, sources said. Mian Nawaz Sharif has reached Islamabad for the meeting.

Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari has condemned the incident in which the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was found pressurizing a judge to reject the nomination papers of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. In a statement released on Monday, Zardari termed the rejection of the papers of PML-N leaders was undemocratic and distasteful. The actions of PML-Q led government in the past had always been dubious and it was known for use of negative tactics to cling to power he said and added that People of Pakistan had given a clear verdict in the elections 2008 but some people had refused to learn from that.He stressed that such behind the scene manoeuvrings should be discouraged by all political forces and the journey towards a better and prosperous Pakistan should start with a broad national reconciliation. “Democracy means providing an opportunity to the people to choose who they want to see in their government, It’s not about limiting their choices by putting unfair hurdles in the way of popular political leadership,” he added.

Commenting on the two-point formula put forth by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani has said that the Kashmiris had not given the power of attorney to Musharraf or Zardari to propose any solution to Kashmir issue.
Zardari, as a follow-up to Pakistan’s commitment to working for reconciliation with India, had made two proposals - reduction of army’s presence in Jammu and Kashmir and creation of economic zones along the Indo-Pak border. Addressing a public meeting at Hafshirmal, Shopian, Geelani said: “Neither India nor Pakistan but we ourselves will decide our fate.”"Kashmiris are the principal party to this dispute and they alone can resolve it through their right to self-determination,” said Geelani, according to APHC statement. Geelani alleged that India wanted to make Kashmiris economically dependent. “They are looting our resources and exploiting these. Jhelum Valley road has been closed under this plan only. Had this road been open, Kashmiris’ economic condition would have been improved. Our fruit boxes would reach Rawalpindi within four hours. We would have extended our trade to the Middle East countries. By occupying our land, India has kept us and our trade confined to the state. If we visit Delhi we are branded as militants there,” said Geelani. Geelani said that New Delhi was using educational institutions to launch cultural aggression in the state and for achieving this purpose it has bolstered and pushed forward people of particular mindset in the Kashmir University. “These people are all set to use university as launching pad to promote India’s polytheistic culture,” he said, appealing people to desist from sending their children especially girls to participate in cultural programmes and government functions. He also urged the principals of girls’ schools to resist the conduct of such programmes in their institutions. Commenting on what Hurriyat said, the government order directing all principals of higher secondary schools to send the girl students to participate in government function on the arrival of President of India Pratibha Patil on her tour to Valley. “This is a coercion to play with the honour of Kashmiris,” said Geelani. “We have no personal enmity with Indian President Pratiba Patil. We have all respect for her for being a woman. But she is visiting Kashmir as the constitutional head of the army that had been indulging in the war crimes in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. So we can’t welcome her,” said Geelani. Geelani said that army and police were harassing the pro-movement activists and their families. “Army and police are asking for the photographs of the pro-movement activists and their families,” he said, adding: “I declare that our struggle is purely peaceful and we are working over ground.”

PPP and PML-N on Sunday revived their broken contacts to pile up more pressure on President Pervez Musharraf. PML-N leader Ishaq Dar met PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for two hours here. They discussed the proposed ‘constitutional package’ aimed at trimming President Musharraf’s powers.Dar told media after the meeting that Zardari had assured him to enhance CJ’s tenure to five years, a timeframe that should be acceptable for PML-N. Zardari on Saturday had told a news conference, and repeated in an interview to private television channel, that the constitutional amendment package was not final and open for discussion. The PPP announced to send the draft to other coalition partners. But Dar said his party was still looking for the document and would start deliberating on it within the party the moment it was dispatched.Sources in both parties said that the meeting might lead to a direct contact (personal or telephonic) between Zardari and Nawaz. They, however, were unsure when it could happen.
MIXED SIGNALS:
Meanwhile, the PML-N appeared to be disseminating mixed signals on whether it would back the ‘constitutional amendment package’. Party’s chairman Zafarul Haq told a private television channel that the PML-N top decision making body-central working committee-would hold a special meeting to deliberate on the matter when it would receive the draft. Nisar Ali Khan said the ‘package’ was the not a right solution to Pakistan’s problems because it did not contain the restoration of judges which the nation aspired from the parliament. He, however, did not say any word on the party’s plans, either to back the amendment or otherwise. A spokesperson for the party outrightly rejected the ‘package’ unless a condition to reduce chief justice’s tenure was removed from it. “This is what we will demand,” Siddiqul Farooque told Business Recorder.