Zardari meets Shujaat

LAHORE/ ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari met former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at his residence here on Friday and discussed political issues. Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) Chief Organiser Chaudhry Sarwar, General Secretary Punjab Chaudhry Shafay and Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik also participated in the meeting. Ch Shujaat and Ch Sarwar advised the government to give relief to people in the budget. They said there was unprecedented inflation in the country and reducing it should be the first priority of the government, and all political parties should play their role to improve the country’s economy. Ch Shujaat said: “First of all, you will have to think about welfare of people. Don’t make political grudge a personal grudge, and always think of the country. Everyone’s survival is linked with Pakistan.” He supported increasing salaries and pension of the government employees. Chaudhry Sarwar said wages of labourers in the budget should be set at the level so that they could educate their children. The budget should be tax-free for the poor, he added. Meanwhile, a former member of the National Assembly (MNA), who was earlier elected on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ticket from NA-47, Jawad Hussain, joined Pakistan Peoples Party after meeting former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Friday.

Zardari welcomed the new entrant in the PPP, who apprised the PPP leader of the situation in the former FATA and PATA regions.

Jawad thanked Asif Zardari for granting tax exemption to his region during the PPP government under the FATA reforms, and said that exemption should be extended as it was necessary for economic development of the region and its people. Zardari said the PPP fully supported the legitimate demand and promised that he would speak to the federal government in that regard. PPP Secretary General Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Acting President PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Minister of State Muhammad Ali Bacha and Secretary Information PPP and Minister of State Faisal Karim Kundi were also present.

Earlier, Jawad Hussain announced joining the PPP at a joint press conference, along with PPP leaders Faisal Karim Kundi, Muhammad Ali Bacha, Zahir Shah and Nazir Dhoki. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Faisal Karim Kundi said Malakand division had been part of PATA; the status of the region under Article 247 had been established. “I hope PATA will be exempted from tax again,” he added.

Jawad Hussain said he was an MNA from 2008 to 2013, and then he was elected in 2018 on the PTI ticket. “No work was done in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and even no work was done on any project in Pakistan,” he regretted and added that he had decided to quit the PTI and re-join the PPP.

Faisal Kundi said a PPP delegation, under the leadership of the provincial president, visited the Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar, which was attacked and burnt by the PTI workers.

He said the attack on the government and defence installations was pre-planned by the PTI and demanded strict legal action against the miscreants involved in all such activities.

Kundi said a number of PTI leaders had contacted the PPP to join it; however, the PPP would welcome those who pursued politics of morality and obeyed the constitutional values.