PPP to back govt on South Punjab province, says Gilani

KARACHI: The former prime minister and senior PPP leader Yousuf Raza Gilani has offered to Prime Minister Imran Khan that he should go ahead with his plan to create the South Punjab province and his party will vote in favour of the move in Parliament.

The former prime minister was talking to newsmen at a ceremony to celebrate the birth anniversary of the founder of the PPP and the former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Gilani said his party would support the government to create the South Punjab province. Gilani said during his tenure as the prime minister he had announced to create the new South Punjab province. He claimed that a law was drafted for the new South Punjab province, and it would have materialised if the party had the required strength in the National Assembly. Gilani said the PTI government has not fulfilled the promises it had made regarding its first 100 days in power.

The former prime minister said it was his earnest wish that present government provides relief to the masses. He said strengthening of national economy and political stability are important factors for the solidarity of the country. He said the economy could never be strengthened without political stability.

He nullified the impression that the former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari is trying to dislodge the PTI’s government. He said his party opted to sit in the assemblies despite reservations over the results of the last general elections. He termed the current accountability drive as political vengeance.

The former prime minister said he was imprisoned for five years under the NAB law. “We are not the ones who run away from the courts as we respect the judiciary and we will face our cases,” he said.

He said they always respected the judiciary despite that late Benazir Bhutto never got justice from them. “Our accountability process lacks transparency,” he said.