Criticising the speeches made by President Asif Ali Zardari publicly, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senators on Tuesday said being the president, Zardari was not only the supreme commander of Pakistan Army but also a symbol of unity among the state institutions, but his biased speeches had faded out the dignity of president’s office.
Participating in a debate during the Senate session that was chaired by Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, PML-N’s Syed Zafar Ali Shah said the president’s speeches depicted that he was a representative of PPP’s workers only, as Zardari clearly stated that next provincial governments in all four provinces would be setup with his consent only.
“The democratic system could not run smoothly following the prejudiced mindset of the supreme commander and people were forced to knock the judiciary’s door against oppressive approach of the rulers,” he added. “The president should be impartial and represent the country, not his party. He should never pass any statement which spreads anxiety,” Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah said. He said Zardari’s statements during public address pertaining to the next provincial governments and appointment of Raja Pervez Ashraf as the prime minister spoke volumes of his credibility as a president. Highlighting ambiguities in the country’s foreign and economic policy, Shah said the government failed to give explanation about the foreign policy in the last four-and-a-half years and ineligible people had been running the country’s finical affairs.
He said the government failed to provide relief to the masses amid skyrocketing hike in commodity prices, as the government utilized all its means to confront the apex judiciary. “If we do not respect the constitution today then the door will remain open for any dictator to derail the democratic system,” he added. PML-N Senator Hamza challenged President Asif Ali Zardari to declare his assets publicly, adding that President himself was a “big problem”. He said former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was sent home by the SC for refusing to write a letter to Swiss authority to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and the current PM Raja Pervez Ashraf was repeating the same mistake.
Hamza added the country’s economy was on the verge of disaster, but the incumbent government was not learning from the past.
President Zardari under fire in Senate
