Musharraf was begging but removed cleanly: Zardari

DUBAI: Former president and Co-Chairman of PPP Asif Ali Zardari said that his government had become stronger after extension was given to former Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

“Extension strengthened me as well as parliament. Many people, who were going home at that time, had Musharraf’s mindset,” added Zardari, while talking to Hamid Mir in Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk.’ Zardari said that the former president Pervez Musharraf was begging for their votes but he was removed easily and cleanly.

He said during Musharraf’s tenure, some groups with vested interests wanted to build hotels in Gwadar and forcibly annexed lands of Baloch people freely.

During the interview, Zardari said that he did not own any apartment in London. To a question on the extension to present COAS General Raheel Sharif, he said that it was the prerogative of the present government and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whether to give an extension or not. Upon the subject of Dr Asim Hussain, he expressed the hope that he would soon be able to walk free. He claimed that Dr Asim bore the brunt of the situation being a 'soft target.’