ISLAMABAD – President Asif Ali Zardari who is also co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) told his party’s provincial lawmakers (MPAs) from Punjab on Wednesday night that the government had made significant inroads in the investigation into the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, but the details would be made public only when the party was not in power.
A source told Pakistan Today that President Zardari said the government could not share the exclusive information with the people because of the extraordinary situation faced by the country, and the PPP workers would be taken into confidence prior to the next elections.
“We have traced the culprits and [they] have been identified. We will reveal their identity when the time is suitable,” the source quoted the president as saying. The president made another important disclosure, saying that some PPP leaders and workers deployed to security the late former premier’s security detail had also made some lapses.
However, he said, the mistakes would have been unavoidable under the circumstances, which was the Will of God. Zardari also asked the PPP MPAs to be responsible and mature while playing the role of a robust opposition in the Punjab Assembly.
“The president also took the party leaders into confidence about his telephonic contact with [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief] Nawaz Sharif, saying that both leaders had agreed to carry forward the democratic setup and no effort would be made to destabilise each other’s governments,” said the source, adding that both parties would practice reconciliatory politics.
The source said the president also ridiculed some female MPAs of the party for playing football and making headlines in the media on the issue of turncoats and asked Sajida Mir, Azma Bukhari, Nargis Faiz Malik and some others to “behave”.
He also said that the party would form its shadow government in Punjab and he would hold meetings with the MPAs every month. Later, a press release quoted the president as saying that the PPP MPs would not allow themselves to be provoked into saying or doing anything that went against the spirit of democracy.
Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar told reporters at a briefing that Zardari asked PPP MPAs in the Punjab Assembly to stop pointing out quorum unnecessarily in the assembly as it obstructed the smooth functioning of the legislature.
Zardari also said that he would soon make task forces to identify potential candidates for elections, which would be held in 2013. Zardari said that he was aware of the difficulties faced by the PPP’s Punjab MPs with their development funds and projects after their exit from the provincial government.
He said he had already discussed with the prime minister the formation of a committee of party MPs to look into their problems and suggest measures for the continuation of their development projects with the help of the federal government if needed.
The meeting thoroughly discussed and debated the issues confronting the country and also reviewed the emerging political challenges from various sources and resolved to face them with determination. Babar said that in his telephone call to Nawaz, President Zardari had prayed for an early recovery of the PML-N chief, who recently underwent heart surgery in London.
Nawaz thanked Zardari for the goodwill gesture.
