Leave govt before fighting establishment, Zardari to Nawaz

MIRPURKHAS: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif was not ideological, rather he was a psychological case and if he wanted to fight the establishment, he should leave the government.

He slammed Nawaz Sharif and said that he could not frighten or exile the PPP leadership on revealing secrets. Addressing a public meeting in connection with celebration of the 90th birthday of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Bhutto here, he said that how he (Nawaz) could disclose secrets about others when he was himself the biggest secret. He added that the PML-N was in the government as well as working as the opposition.

Asif Zardari said, “Pakistan is in trouble because of incompetent leaders.” He said that the elected leaders of the country lacked vision and that no shortcoming could be masked in the present time. He claimed that the people of Pakistan no longer supported the present government. He said that the PML-N leaders did not work in the five-year tenure, rather they established industries and changed their lives around.

The PPP Co-chairman claimed that all the state institutions were subordinates to the PML-N government and that leaders used government resources and enjoyed protocol. He said he (Zardari) shared Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s ideals and his spirit.

He said, “Pakistan is inefficient politicians as they have failed to fulfill their promises made with the nation.” He strongly slammed late appointment of foreign minister and said that absence of a full-time foreign minister had badly reflected its international affairs. “This person will take your narrative to the world and they will listen to,” he said sarcastically. “If you had to appoint a foreign minister you should have at least appointed someone who the world would understand,” he remarked.

Moving to the next hot topic for debate Zardari mocked at Nawaz Sharif for stating that he would spill the secrets. He said that Nawaz Sharif himself was the biggest secret. Explaining the remark he alleged that Nawaz had managed to get 112,000 votes even though he had given tickets to the people who could not even win a union council election seat. He said that he made it possible by rigging.

He said, “The government has appointed a foreign minister that speaks English in Punjabi.” “Don’t send us indirect messages thinking we will be intimidated,” said Zardari in reference with Nawaz earlier statement about exposing behind the curtain scheming with evidence.

Zardari said that Nawaz shouldn’t speak of behind the scene secrets as the ruling party itself was the biggest mystery. “You (the PML-N) is in the government and behind the scene as well,” said Zardari adding that he found it confounding that how come a person incapable of winning a Union Council elections gathered 100,000 votes in general elections.

While praising ZA Bhutto, the PPP co-chairman said that the party founder breathed meaning and sensibility into the party. Earlier during his address to the participants, PPP leader and opposition leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said that Pakistan needed those leaders who would live and die for its people. “Our life and death is associated with the people of this nation,” said Shah.