Centre further aggravating every crisis: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Former president and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari said the people in the federal government do not have the political realisation and further aggravate crisis which the country is facing.

“A year ago, I had warned of the locust problem but the people in federal government did not understand,” he said while talking on phone to the PPP President for Central Punjab Qamar Zaman Kaira and General Secretary Punjab Chaudhry Manzoor. Zardari said that despite two floods during the PPP government (2008-2013) it did not let any food shortage in the country. “Today food security is under real threat and the loss due to locusts would last for many years to come,” he said.

The PPP co-chairman said the federal government was weakening the provinces instead of making them strong. He asked jiyalas in Punjab to be united as the good times are not far.

The former president said that he does not fear the cases initiated against him whether old or new as he has faced them in courts before and will also face them now.

Zardari warned the government of dangerous situation if it does not give relief to the people. “The PPP supported labourers, farmers and poor people of Pakistan during the 2008 economic crisis in the world and brought the economy of the country back to progress with the support of labourers and farmers,” he said.

The PPP co-chairman said the PPP united the federation with the help of strong provinces by 18th Amendment and the NFC further strengthened the federation. “The current rulers neither believe in the Constitution nor any federal principle,” he said.

Zardari said that he had apologised to Balochistan despite the fact that he had not done anything bad to them personally because he thought that it was his responsibility to bring back Balochistan to the mainstream.” If Akhtar Mengal has some demands then we should consider them. Akhtar Mengal is in the Parliament,” he said.

Zardari said the PPP is ready to play its role in resolving Balochistan's issues. “We have only one condition that the Baloch should come back in the mainstream politics of the country and give up armed struggle,” he said.

Zardari said the state needs to be more careful now than before regarding Balochistan. “God forbid, if Akbar Bugti like incident is repeated then it will be very difficult to control the situation,” he said.