Pakistan Views

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zarddari Monday said that his party will keep up its support for Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) in Punjab and no new ministers would be brought in place of those N-league ministers who have given resignation. PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said he would wait for the comeback of the friends from Muslim League-N in the cabinet, adding their (N-League’s) cabinet seats will be kept vacant. Zardari averred the impeachment of the President Pervez Musharraf only after getting two-third majority. PPP leader said he is not willing to go for the option of cooperation from Q-League.Punjab government cannot hold together without PPP, he maintained.

Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Zardari on Monday said that the name of new finance minister will be announced on Tuesday, a private TV channel reported. However, Asif Zardari did not reveal the name of the new finance minister.

A meeting between President Pakistan Muslim League-N Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has been set on Saturday evening, sources here said. The meeting will be the final effort to save the ruling coalition. Meanwhile, PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, who was scheduled to leave London this evening to home, has extended his stay for a day after this development, sources added. Pakistan Muslim League-N has devised an alternate strategy in case of failure of talks with Pakistan People’s Party for restoration of deposed judges.A formal decision to pullout of the federal cabinet will be made in the meeting of PML-N central working committee on May 12.

Leader of Pakistan People’s Party Senator Babar Awan has said that party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari is the most suitable candidate for the premiership. Talking to the BBC on Wednesday he said that Zardarai has rendered many sacrifices for the party and even remained in jail for 11 years but did not compromise on principles, adding that Asif Ali Zardari is called the Nelson Mandela of Pakistan. However, he said that he was also agreed with the statement of Makhdoom Amin Fahim that final decision would be taken by the Central Working Committee of the party. About the will of Benazir Bhutto Babar Awan said the will is only one and its copies will have been distributed. In this will, too, she has proposed that the leadership of the party ought to be handed over to Asif Ali Zardari, he clarified. To another question he said the fact is that wills are private documents but as some people tried to create doubts that there was no such a will the party decided to make the will public. In her will, Benazir Bhutto had proposed that the leadership of the party should be handed over to the Asif Ali Zardari but he made Bilawal Bhutto Chairman of the party and he himself chose to become the co-chairman.

Co-Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Asif Ali Zardari has said that every Pakistani knows that rigging the February 18 elections would tantamount to tearing Pakistan apart and the masses would foil all attempts of Gorbachev to steal the elections.
The co-chairman stated this while addressing a meeting of central executive committee, federal council, Sindh council and party candidates from Sindh at Bilawal House on Sunday.
The PPP co-chairman deliberated at length in a somber mood about Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and her wisdom, bravery, intuition, leadership, and her martyrdom. He said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had the intuition about her martyrdom and her judge is the history.
She has defeated the dictatorial and evil forces by laying down her life. Today, the people consider her as an angel and her politics as prayers. She raised the stature of politicians and forced even the dictator of the day to declare her a martyr.
“We consider her will as an order” announcing that the will would be the part of Shaheed Chairperson’s book and added that if our eyes are filled with tears than our hearts are filled with fire but we would transform our grief and sufferings into strength.
He said our politics is based on wait because every segment of Pakistani society is with PPP and even those politicians who opposed her shed tears on her grave and having genuine grief and sorrow.
He told the party leaders that the February 18 elections are test elections for them and exhorted them that the energies of those who want to rig the polling would exhaust to party workers and people’s stiff resistance and the dictatorship is crumbling down before the people’s power.
The PPP co-chairman said that entire world business came to a standstill and international philosophers started admitting her international stature and worldly wisdom after her martyrdom. Nowhere in the history has felt such a grand pain on a single person’s murder in the entire world.
He said his initial 28-month imprisonment was a difficult period as it was his first experience in life but he drew strength from the scene of last meeting of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in jail when former was waiting for the gallows. “I see the sepoy refusing to open the door for future prime minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to meet her father and former prime minister of Pakistan Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,” he added.
Asif Zardari said that Bhuttoism starts where the intellect ends as is evident from the fact that even common man speak the same words as that of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
He said that PPP was proud of its workers and their commitment adding that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is saluting all of you and the workers from her grave. She is really proud of you for being with her during struggle.
The PPP co-chairman also expressed his will to be buried in Garhi Khuda Bux with two pre-conditions including that he is martyred while struggling to accomplish the mission of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto or his life comes to an end while continuing with her mission for Pakistan.
He authorised all the party leaders, workers and the people of Pakistan to halt him and tell if he drifts away from the mission of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto adding that he would have no right to be buried in Garhi Khuda Bux if he drifts off from the mission.
“We could spare the perpetrators of atrocities against us but we would never allow usurp of the rights of the poor and downtrodden or obstructing the mission of the martyrs of the PPP,” he added.
He pointed out that rotten eggs in politics and these political Eskimos were talking of break up of the party because they don’t have the level of intellect to understand the depth of Bhutoism.
Earlier, addressing the meeting Deputy Secretary General of the PPP and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani said that no other political party in the entire world has the distinction that two of its successive laid down their lives for the country and the party and its people.
The PPP Sindh president Syed Qaim Ali Shah gave guidelines to the party leaders and candidates to stop rigging during the polling and before it. PPP Sindh Information Secretary and member of the CEC Dr Fehmida Mirza in her brief speech said Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto are not personalities but they are ideology in themselves

Asif ali zardari on Friday said his party was certain of victory in next month’s general elections and that they would unearth the conspiracy behind his wife’s martydom.

“Coming elections are crucial for the federation and the survival of Pakistan. People should vote for PPP to save Pakistan,” Zardari told a press conference in the Karachi. “According to our assessment, we are winning the election across Pakistan.”

If they win, “we will unearth the conspiracy behind Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom,” he said.

His Party last week sent an appeal to the United Nations requesting it investigate her martyring and expressing no confidence in the Pakistani probe.

The party has also expressed its dissatisfaction over the involvement of Scotland Yard detectives in the ongoing probe, saying their mandate did not allow them to investigate who was behind the martyrdom.

With only weeks left in the up-coming elections, Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated the People’s Party’s demand for troop deployment during the polling process.

Talking to reporters here, the PPP’s Co-chairperson said his party would stick to Benazir Bhutto’s demand that the elections should be held under the oversight of army personnel.

Zardari said the PPP would continue to cooperate with the Scotland Yard team investigating Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

However, he added that a UN probe was necessary to end the controversy surrounding the issue.

Zardari also denied any contact with government, saying he has not met Attorney General Malik Abdul Qayyum.

Referring to the current situation in the country, Zardari claimed Pakistan had lost 25 billion dollars in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s death.

He also alleged that the government is responsible for the ongoing wheat, gas and power crises.

The government would re-enact the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) if People’s Party decides to cooperate with President Musharraf in future, Attorney General Malik Qayyum told Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting in Dubai. Otherwise the cases against the party leaders would reopen after the legislation will be lapsed.

The meeting between Malik Qayyum and PPP chairperson took place on Sunday night in Dubai, sources told a private TV channel. The matters related to future cooperation between the two sides were discussed in the meeting. The meeting was especially focused on the National Reconciliation Ordinance, sources claimed.

Attorney General Malik Qayyum urged PPP co chairman to join ranks with Musharraf in future. The NRO will be re-enacted on February 5 if the cooperation will be assured, Qayyum said. Otherwise the cases against Zardari and other party leaders would reopen after passing of the time of the legislation, he added.

The NRO would lapse on February 5, which can be re-enacted by the president.

According to the sources PPP co chairman Asif Ali Zardari told Qayyum that he was not in position of taking immediate decision on the matter and would reply after holding consultations with the party leaders. The contacts between Pakistan People’s Party and the President would remain continue in future, the sources said.

APP ADDS: Spokesperson of the Pakistan People’s Party on Monday contradicted the media reports of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s meeting with Attorney General Malik Muhammad Qayyum in Dubai. “No meeting between Asif Zardari and Attorney General has taken place nor is it on the agenda,” the PPP spokesperson said. He said that the media reports to this effect were baseless and “appeared to have been planted to create confusion and misgivings.”

The Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday left for Dubai from Karachi airport to see off his son leaving for education to United Kingdom.

According to PPP Media Cell, Asif Zardari left for Dubai to see off his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is going to Oxford, London for education.

PPP’s co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of former prime minister, late Ms. Bhutto reached from Sukkur to Karachi and boarded a flight from Karachi airport for Dubai.

The co-chairman of PPP is expected to return in next few days, the same sources said.