Zardari boasts of ousting govt by November

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) President, Asif Ali Zardari, has predicted the ouster of government in four to five months.

“I think the ouster of government will take four to five months, as the opposition parties are formulating a joint strategy to send it packing before November 2019,” he said while responding to a question during a press talk at the National Assembly cafeteria on Monday.

Zardari came to the Parliament House to attend the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Industries and Production after the issuance of his production orders by the Committee Chairman Sajid Turi. Asked as to who is going to replace the current rulers, he said the political forces are continuing their struggle. Asked if the opposition will again start political wrangling after coming into power, Zardari said they have learnt a lot through their mistakes and will remain vigilant in future. “Imran Khan is also a ‘gift’ of our weaknesses,” he said. He said a few special people, who were not dry-cleaned and were resisting are being caught. “Those who were not dry-cleaned will have to use double Surf Excel for them,” he added.

Asked if there is a mini-martial law, as like politicians journalists are also on the targetlist, he said, “I will say it is a civil martial law and wannabe martial law administration.” Asked what did he say in his interview that its telecast was stopped, Zardari replied that he had talked about the ‘London Scandal’ of Imran Khan. He said Imran might have links with a company against whom cases were being registered in London and its CEO was arrested who secured his release on bail paying 30 million pounds. Zardari said the rulers were going to take loans of about $30 billion, which is a matter of concern. “We are used to taking loans from China and friendly countries, but they are taking loans from those, who will stop our planes and may even take over our embassies in future,” he said.

He said loans were being taken from the international financial institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, and Asian Development Bank, and they might take over our embassies in future. He said the finance minister is a technocrat having no understanding of the situation. When asked that the motorways had already been mortgaged and what else will they take over, Zardari replied the rulers will mortgage themselves too. He said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maryam Nawaz Sharif are the future political leaders and they would only guide them. Asked if he would give a piece of advice to Maryam Nawaz Sharif, he said, “Why not … she is our daughter.”

Asked if the PPP will accept the opening batsman of General Ziaul Haq as the Senate chairman, Zardari said this question should better be put to Maryam Nawaz. “The PML-N has majority in the Senate and the new Senate chairman may be from that party,” he said. Asked about the leaked video of Accountability Court Justice Arshad Malik, Zardari said he could not watch the video, as he has no TV facility where he is being kept. He said the PPP leadership continued to attend Justice Qayoom's court despite knowing everything. “We were convicted but after that our convictions were quashed,” he said. Sometimes, things go wrong in politics and I might have also made mistakes, he said. He said the PTI government is afraid of the PPP and the political power of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “During the era of Benazir Bhutto, they put me in jail, as they felt political threat from the PPP,” he added.

Replying to a question about the government’s intention to abolish the law allowing issuance of production orders, Zardari said the government will weaken the Parliament by doing away with the law and they will also suffer because of this action.“Today’s production order for me might be the last one,” he said. He predicted that the year 2020 will be better for Pakistan. To another question about the health of former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Zardari said he was saying from very first day that he was not well and should be placed under house arrest. Asked if Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will be tying the knot in the current year, he replied, "Insha Allah”.