Zardari warns govt against ‘victimisation’

LAHORE: Former president and PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has warned the federal government against what he called usurping the rights of smaller provinces.

He said his party was maintaining silence against this grave injustice in the view of the prevailing war threats from India; otherwise, it was fully capable and ready to counter the government injustice.

He was talking to a delegation of PPP Punjab office-bearers, who called on him at Bilawal House on Monday, headed by PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira, and including PPP parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Hasan Murtaza and others. They discussed the prevailing political and security situation in the country with references to party priorities under the present circumstances, besides the organisational matters of the party in the province.

Zardari alleged that the federal government was not releasing the important funds allocated to the Sindh and Balochistan provinces under the share of financial resources which was causing serious problems for the people of those provinces and also hampering the development schemes. He also alleged that the development funds for the constituencies of opposition members in Punjab Assembly were not being released as part of victimisation.

Zardari cautioned the federal government that country was passing through a critical phase which has forced the PPP leadership to refrain from making political moves against the federal government. He warned that if PPP decided to do politics against the government under any circumstances, it would perform much better than the rulers, but was bound by the security threats to the country from making political moves and creating problems for the government. He said his party had always rendered sacrifices for the country in the past and was ready to offer more sacrifices in future.

Zardari assured the PPP leadership that political situation would change very soon in Punjab, adding that he would undertake extensive visits of Punjab beginning from the southern Punjab very soon. He advised the PPP leadership and organisations to step up their mass contacts and keep the masses aware against the injustices of the government. He noted that the PPP members were small in numbers in Punjab Assembly but their voice was strong and forceful. He also extended congratulations to PPP Punjab for celebrating the anniversary of the OIC summit, organised by PPP founding chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in Lahore in 1974 and said the PPP Punjab put up a great show of the celebrations of that historic event. Later, Asif Zardari left for Islamabad.