Zardari lunges at the Sharifs

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday launched a scathing attack on opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif, saying they were ‘mohajirs’ in Lahore and were enjoying power because of his Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Addressing a gathering of PPP workers at the Governor’s House here, Zardari, who is the co-chairman of PPP, took swipes at the Sharif brothers and said they had “no political future”. Zardari further said: “Lahore is not a stronghold of the Sharifs and we will prove this in the coming elections”. Lahore is PPP’s city and the Sharif brothers were living there as “mohajirs” (migrants), he said. “We know how brave the Sharif brothers are. They have no political future”. In a stinging personal attack, Zardari said the brothers could not muster enough followers for the “funeral of their father”. “The Sharifs did not even have enough shoulders to carry the funeral of their father. The dead body of Mian Sharif had to be taken to Data Darbar,” said Zardari. The Sharifs were in exile in Saudi Arabia when their father died and his burial was done under strict security arrangements put in place by the former military regime of Pervez Musharraf. Zardari claimed the “shine that the Sharif brothers have” was given by him and that he could “take it away any time”. He said the PPP would form the government in Punjab, the country’s most populous province, after winning the 2013 elections. The PPP will contest the next election in Punjab with its coalition partner, the PML-Q, he said.
He contended that the PPP “has votes while other parties have candidates and hollow slogans”. He said the PPP would continue rendering its services to the people in the next tenure. He said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto had laid their lives for the sake of democracy, and that the entire world pays tribute to them.
He said the government would give “real relief” to the people and traders in the next budget. “The problem of load shedding will be resolved within three months,” he announced. As Zardari continued his tirade against the Sharifs, he went on to say that the PPP had established the “politics of reconciliation” in the country by following the vision of Benazir Bhutto, while strengthening democracy in the country. He said the PPP would continue its policy of reconciliation.
Reacting to the attack, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said Zardari had resorted to a “lowly act”.
“If Zardari describes the Sharif brothers as migrants, then he is surely unaware of the results of the past four elections,” said Sanaullah. “It seems like he (Zardari) has gone mad. He can foresee that he is going to face terrible consequences, which is why he is making such statements,” he added. Zardari, who has rarely been seen in public in recent months, is in Lahore to interact with PPP workers for the first time in almost two years. Though he made a visit to the city last year to meet the family of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, he did not meet party workers at the time. When Zardari arrived in the provincial capital on Wednesday, he was not received by officials or ministers of the PML-N government.