President Asif Ali Zardari has said that more than anything else, it was international factors that were responsible for the PPP’s defeat in the elections.
Zardari said this while addressing party’s leadership from Punjab at Bilawal House in Baharia Town Lahore on Monday, his first after the PPP’s humiliating defeat in May 11 elections.
It was a big gathering of PPP jialas, all interested to know what President Zardari had in his mind and what his next was move in wake of the elections.
Over 400 party ticket-holders and office-bearers from Punjab were present. It was here in the largest province where the PPP received huge battering, getting totally wiped out from Punjab with most of its top ranking leaders failing to return to power.
Former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Asharf, Manzoor Wattoo, Aitzaz Ahsan, Ahmad Mukhtar, Samina Ghurki and other party stalwarts were seen occupying front rows.
Zardari said the party’s poor showing in the elections was per a “script” and pre-planned strategy. “It was a hostile judiciary coupled with international conspiracies that led to defeat of the party,” he alleged.
He said “security concerns, issues like load shedding and legal constraints on him let us down”.
“But it was less of our defeat and more of a victory for a special mindset,” he emphasised.
Zardari said some forces did not like the increasing presence of Pakistan in the region. “In fact it was a combination of local and international factors that caused our defeat.”
He added that elections had been thoroughly rigged.
Zardari asked party leaders and workers not to feel let down. “By the year end, I will be in politics along with my children. I am not going to quit Punjab. I will go to each and every constituency to revitalise the party,” he assured.
“Once my children will be in the field, yours will follow suit. In this way, we will hand over the party to our next generation,” president said.
Zardari assured the participants that the PPP would play the role of an effective opposition in the coming days.
“I think jialas did not like my policy of reconciliation. As such, I will not congratulate the Sharifs until they permit me to do so.”
He said he built the house in Lahore with clear intention that he would focus on Punjab.
Speaking on the occasion, other PPP leaders termed load shedding as the bane of party’s failure besides other factors. They also blamed “international factors” responsible for the party’s defeat.
“It is Pak-Iran cooperation that was not liked by certain forces,” they contended.
The president constituted a committee under the supervision of Aitzaz Ahsan to probe into the allegations of rigging.
A party leader said the defeat in the elections was due to a gap between top party leadership and workers, which was not the case when people like Naheed Khan were active in the party.
According to some insiders, the president did not like the mention of Naheed Khan’s name and left the venue.