Zardari says Nawaz ‘duped’ him into making anti-establishment remarks

–PPP co-chairman says deposed premier is more ‘opportunistic and cunning than I thought’

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Monday claimed that deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif had “duped” him into making scathing remarks against the military establishment.

“I used to think that Nawaz is a simpleton but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo is far more opportunistic and cunning than I thought,” Zardari said while talking to party leaders here.

Commenting on his ‘brick for brick’ remarks against the establishment, the PPP co-chairman claimed that Nawaz had encouraged him to fight the military.

In a heated speech on June 16, 2015, Zardari had warned the military establishment not to overstep its mandate. Zardari said that Nawaz used that statement to mend his own relations with former army chief General Raheel Sharif.

“We supported the government’s efforts for strengthening democracy, civilian supremacy and constitution, however Nawaz back-stabbed us,” Zardari said, adding that Nawaz will suffer now as he will not join hands with the former premier anymore.

On the issue of Musharraf’s trial, Zardari said that when he held the former military dictator accountable, Nawaz did not support him, while on the other hand, he supported Nawaz when he filed a treason case against Musharraf. “Nawaz had assured me that he will not let Musharraf go and when I made the statement that Musharraf won’t be allowed to travel abroad, Nawaz sent him out of the country,” alleged Zardari. “It turned out that Nawaz had made a deal with the former military dictator without taking me into confidence.”

The former president also claimed that Nawaz ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other state institutions to take action against PPP leadership in Sindh.