–PPP chief says will continue to fight political rivals despite attempts being made to send him to jail
TANDO ALLAHYAR: Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of planning to “abrogate” the 1973 Constitution “over its reservations on a few clauses of the 18th Amendment” and attempting to restore the One Unit policy of Gen Ayub Khan’s regime.
“PPP will resist any such move,” the PPP co-chairman said and added that his father and politicians from the Ayub-era had similarly resisted the dictator in the ’60s.
Talking to media at the residence of close aide Ghulam Qadir Mari in Tando Allahyar, Zardari said that the PPP government had restored the 1973 Constitution to its original form when it formed the federal government. He added that his party would resist all moves to scrap the 18th Amendment.
Zardari also dismissed President Dr Arif Alvi’s statement on the 18th Amendment, saying that since he didn’t understand the meaning of defence, he has no right to talk about the amendment.
He criticised the government for a lack of political understanding and claimed that the next prime minister will send Prime Minister Imran Khan to jail.
He reminded people that his party had earlier warned of Prime Minister Imran’s inefficacy in running a government.
“A puppet government cannot deal with the problems plaguing this country,” Zardari added.
He also took a jibe at PM Imran’s ‘chicken and egg’ policy, sarcastically commenting that people should buy chickens to sell their eggs to see if any prosperity can be achieved this way.
“Our thinking is very different from the present rulers,” he added.
Responding to questions pertaining to the money laundering case in which he is accused, the former president expressed his disappointment over the closure of sugar mills owned by the Omni Group by the joint investigation team, claiming that those who depended on its income are facing the losses.
He added that attempts to put him in jail will continue but he will continue to fight.
Zardari was critical of the demolition of 50,000 shops in Karachi, which he said had left families without jobs.
He said that alternate arrangements should have been made before the shops were demolished.
In a sarcastic comment, he said that he doesn’t see any foreign policy but the PTI government certainly has a policy of demolishing a 300-year-old wall of the Governor House in Lahore.
