Malik defends Zardari demanding Nawaz’s return

ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister and senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Abdul Rehman Malik has said that Asif Ali Zardari's advice to Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan to actively participate in the democratic movement was based on facts and his political wisdom.

“Former President Asif Ali Zardari speech in the PDM meeting was very clear and democratic as the same decision was taken in the party‘s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting which was put before the PDM,” he said in a talk with newsmen on Wednesday.

He said PPP is a real democratic party in the country and knows well the democratic norms and values and has rendered countless sacrifices for democracy.

Rehman Malik said the CEC is the supreme body of the party which had unanimously decided not to resign from the Parliament. He said that former president Asif Ali Zardari had never said that PDM is dissolved or dismantled but expressed his democratic opinion and the party stance but propaganda was being spread against PDM regarding Asif Ali Zardari's statement.

“Today Maulana Fazlur Rehman had also advised Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan endorsing the statement of Asif Ali Zardari,” he said. To a question about Fazlur Rehman’s annoyance in the PDM meeting, Rehman Malik said “Maulana Fazlur Rehman had the right to be angry as Maulana Ghafoor Haidari could not bag the seven votes of PDM while contesting elections for deputy chair of the Senate”. He urged that PDM must investigate to know those seven senators from PDM who did not vote for Ghafoor Haidari for deputy chairman Senate. He expressed that if those seven senators who stabbed back of PDM were not identified, the PDM would face the same in the future.

Rehman Malik said that PPP sacrifices for democracy were numerous and for the cause of democracy, Quaid-e-Awam Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto sacrificed their lives. “Asif Ali Zardari has suffered the maximum imprisonment, victimisation and sufferings in his struggle for democracy”.

He said that PPP was still under attack, cases were still going on against us as just today Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani's bail was rejected. He said that Asif Ali Zardari made the Parliament powerful, finalised the National Finance Commission Award for the provinces and gave autonomy to the provinces through the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

He said that unfortunately, Pakistan is currently passing through numerous problems including political turmoil and polarisation resultantly inflation and unemployment are on a continuous rise and life of the poor is getting difficult with each passing day.

He warned if inflation is not controlled, the whole country will become part of PDM and will come on roads to march against the government. He said that at every traffic signal, one finds dozens of people begging including educated youth due to poverty, price hike, and unemployment.

He said that the inflation will rise further and the Pakistani rupee will more depreciate as the government has given full autonomy to the State Bank of Pakistan which is under the direct influence of IMF now.