Zardari says Khan lacks political wisdom

• PPP chief says Khan chose to shutdown country on the day East Pakistan was lost
• Tells party leaders to serve workers and masses or find themselves another political party

Looking down on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan as a politician devoid of political wisdom, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday bawled out at his party’s “suspected future defectors”, who were likely flapping their wings to fly to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) camp.

“Be my guest, if you want to part ways with Bhutto’s party to join those (PTI) who are wrapped around ‘umpire’s finger’. If you cannot serve the workers/people then party doesn’t need you anymore,” the PPP leader told his party’s leadership as well as workers at Bilawal House.

Taking a jibe at Imran Khan, Zardari said the PTI chief had called for shutting down the entire country on a date when East Pakistan was lost.

Making an allusion to Khan’s ‘blockupation’ like protest campaign, he said that the federal capital was not ‘Somnath Temple’ which anyone could invade as many times as wanted.

“We cannot jam the country because the nation, politics, and history cannot be punished for ‘one’ crime,” Zardari said, claiming he was cognizant of what was going on and had his eyes on everything. He said that PPP, for the first time raised slogan of ‘Go Baba Go’ but did not let the system collapse.

Commenting on the PPP’s performance during its five year rule, the former president said their administration had restored the constitution in its real shape and introduced the ‘Haqooq-e-Balochistan’ package. However, he conceded that his party had failed to embrace its workers.

Zardari lamented that estranged party leaders, whom he had entrusted with crucial responsibilities, had failed to deliver. “I gave important responsibilities to those who were lying on beds and were out of politics for last 20 years, and now, they are busy in groupings.”

The PPP co-chairman warned party leaders that if they failed to reconcile with workers or failed to stop making groups within the party, then they may find little space for themselves in the party.

Zaradri also reiterated his commitment to strengthening democracy in the country, adding that “we [PPP] will not anyone derail it and we do not want anyone to set a tradition which can be dangerous for democracy in any way.”

“Parliaments of the world’s best countries may have flaws but democracy should continue,” he said.