- Bilawal Bhutto given reins of party
- PPP chief says will make all-out efforts to restore writ of state
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari said Tuesday that his party will not make efforts in the future to save the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), adding that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has emptied the national coffers.
“We have saved their government twice but we will not save them again in the future,” the former president said while addressing the golden jubilee gathering of PPP, organised at Islamabad’s Parade Ground. Zardari said that all political events that would unfold in the future would be on the basis of the votes cast by the public.
The PPP co-chair further said that on every PPP foundation day, he remembered the late Benazir Bhutto, who would have been extremely proud to see her son Bilawal Bhutto taking command of party affairs. The former president also said that after the five-year rule of PPP, the government had been successful in fulfilling Benazir’s vision.
While mocking former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf, Zardari said that the former army chief had taken refuge outside Pakistan after realising that he had no future in politics.
Earlier in the day, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto reached Islamabad’s Parade Ground along with Asif Ali Zardari to commemorate the party’s golden jubilee. The preparations for the rally were completed earlier after which supporters began amassing at the venue.
On December 4, Bilawal had announced the party’s plans to hold a rally in Islamabad as part of the party’s golden jubilee celebrations. While addressing reporters in the federal capital on Monday, Bilawal had advised political opponent and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to take retirement from politics. Nawaz should take a retirement for the betterment of democracy and PML-N, he remarked.
The PPP leader said that the Nawaz government had not shown seriousness in governing Pakistan during its current tenure. He said that in the last four years, the government could not appoint a permanent foreign minister which showed their incompetence.
Moreover, Bilawal said that it was demoralising to see the writ of the state eroding at a fast pace. Commenting on the country’s political situation, he said that the condition had deteriorated further in recent times, adding that democracy had survived in Pakistan because of PPP’s constant political struggle.
The country became a nuclear power due to the efforts of PPP, he remarked, adding that the party would also give the country a young prime minister. He further said that his party wanted the ruling PML-N to complete its tenure. “We want a democratic transfer of power,” he added. Replying to a question, Bilawal said that the PPP wanted the general elections to be held on time. However, he showed dissatisfaction over census results by terming them “controversial”.
The PPP scion also said that his party would make all-out efforts to restore the writ of the state after the current ruling party failed to do so. He also said that the fashion in which state authority was recently challenged was no less than an alarming situation.
