Fida Hussnain Lahore
President Asif Ali Zardari claimed that the federal government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) failed to deliver, the sources within the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) familiar with the development said on Wednesday.
“We know how to make and break the governments,” President Zardari was quoted as saying in the meeting of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) held at Bilawal House in Lahore. The president presided over the meeting.
Mr. Zardari said that they needed to work together for the sake of the country. “We don’t want the drawing room politics, and we must have to come out,” said Mr. Zardari while addressing the party leaders as per the sources.
The sources said that Mr. Zardari said that Pakistan is going through difficult times and they all have to save it.
The president also criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demands and conditions, saying that why the public is being tried this time by taking loans from the Fund.
“Just sit down with the IMF and hold talks with it,” said the President indirectly addressing the federal government led by the PML-N.
He went on to say that he is out in the field, in Lahore and Islamabad, and would ask everyone to do his work. President Zardari claimed that there is no party parallel to the PPP this time in the country.
Coming down hard upon Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mr. Zardari said that “there used to be a prime minister who used to say “me, me” [I, I] is now in jail,”.
The sources said that the meeting under Mr. Zardari also discussed the prevailing political situation in the country and discussed the working relationship of the PPP with the Punjab government.
The PPP leadership, they said, also held deliberations whether to join the Punjab cabinet or not.
Former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Governor of Punjab SardarSalimHaider, QamarZamanKaira, Hassan Murtaza, and other party leaders were also present there in the meeting.
Talking to the reporters outside Bilawal House in Lahore, PPP leader ShahzadSaeedCheema said that President Zardari chaired the meeting. He said he mentioned the tough time and assured them that it would be over soon. He said that the meeting under Mr. Zardari also made it clear that their economic policy should be agro-based.
“Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz did not come to Lahore airport to receive and welcome Mr. Zardari,” said a leader while referring to the discussion of the meeting. Punjab CM’s response at this time when Mr. Zardari’s arrival in Lahore as president for the first time was discussed in the meeting.
The leaders said that it does not matter if the Punjab CM could not come there to welcome President Zardari at the airport.
ShahzadSaeedCheema said that the PPP never bothered such small things.
“Call recording was illegal and unlawful but now is allowed and legal but the PPP was and is against call recording,” he added.
Ends/