Zardari says has full confidence in ECP

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) President Asif Ali Zardari Sunday expressed his confidence in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), while Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said even political opponents had realised that the next prime minister would be Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Asif Zardari said in a statement, issued by the PPP Secretariat in the federal capital, that the country was moving towards transparent elections and the PPP was fully prepared for it.

“I have full confidence in the Election Commission [of Pakistan] that it will conduct a transparent election,” he said, adding the PPP was the only party which had the ability to contest elections in all kinds of circumstances.

“I am sure that on February 8, the PPP will emerge as the majority party of the country,” he added. The environment of the country was currently conducive for elections, which should be held on time, he said.

Separately, Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam called on Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) President and former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari at the Bilawal House, here on Sunday.

According to a press release issued by the media cell, Asif Zardari and Reza Amiri discussed the promotion of bilateral relations during the meeting and agreed to further expand trade relations between the two nations.

Iranian Consul General in Karachi Hassan Nourian and PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla were also present.

Meanwhile, former federal information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the one who would get more votes in the upcoming elections, would become the prime minister of Pakistan.

Talking to the media at the PMLN central secretariat in Lahore, she said for the past many years, Pakistan’s politics had been a victim of games and schemes. She recalled that Shehbaz Sharif was jailed through a game when he was the opposition leader. But today, he had been acquitted in all the false cases.

Marriyum said Shehbaz Sharif was punished for bravely supporting his brother Mian Nawaz Sharif, while Ahad Cheema, who was completing development projects, was charged with corruption. Nawaz Sharif was removed from office for not taking salary, the former federal minister claimed. She said not a single rupee was recovered by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and no allegation of money-laundering was proved against Shehbaz Sharif.

The PMLN leader said Nawaz Sharif was getting rid of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans by improving the economy, but the development process was stopped and people were deprived of job opportunities. “Theft and corruption destroyed the economy and today bread price has reached from Rs2 to Rs20,” Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Former information minister said the May 9 incidents were committed by the enemies of the country.

She said Nawaz Sharif was holding meetings on daily basis on how to lower electricity rates in the country, how to provide relief to the poor, and how to reduce prices of daily-use items.

She said Nawaz Sharif was not thinking of his own losses but those of the public. Because of Nawaz Sharif’s past development projects and his vision for steering the country out of crises again, even the opponents had realised now that the next prime minister of Pakistan would be Nawaz Sharif.

“Every party, when it goes to elections, presents a manifesto. The politics of taunting is different from the politics of development,” Marriyum said adding that people would vote for Nawaz Sharif and he would become the prime minister again.

She said Asif Ali Zardari recently stated that he was seeing a transparent election and he had confidence in the Election Commission of Pakistan that it would be successful in conducting a transparent election. She said it was a very important statement and would help stabilise political atmosphere in the country.

She said people believed that the PMLN could bring development and employment back with its vision and hard work. However, the country could not afford personal politics, so it’s time that all politicians should play their role in solving people’s problems.