{"id":22275,"date":"2023-11-07T19:20:09","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T19:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/zardari-welcomes-opponents-to-poll-bouts-against-ppp-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-11-07T19:20:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T19:20:09","slug":"zardari-welcomes-opponents-to-poll-bouts-against-ppp-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/zardari-welcomes-opponents-to-poll-bouts-against-ppp-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Zardari \u2018welcomes\u2019 opponents to poll bouts against PPP | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nHYDERABAD:
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Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Zardari said on Tuesday he would welcome all the political opponents who wished to contest the upcoming general elections against his party in early next year.<\/p>\n

Addressing party workers in Ghotki, Zardari said that the PPP, with the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), brought down the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government not because of gaining power but because Imran Khan was unable to run it.<\/p>\n

The PPP leader spoke to the PPP workers after the announcement of the PML-N\u2019s electoral alliance with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). In his speech, Zardari appeared unfazed by the political development in Sindh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who want to contest against us, we say \u2018Bismillah\u2019 to them, our opponents stand in the election, we will welcome them,\u201d Zardari said. \u201cWe don\u2019t stop anyone from contesting. We have our own politics and philosophy and they have their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former president believed that without democracy and electoral contest the best results could not be achieved under a democratic dispensation. He also referred to his role in relegating the presidential powers to parliament during his tenure as the president from 2008-13.<\/p>\n

At the outset of the speech, Zardari expressed the desire to speak to his workers in Sindhi or Seraiki languages. But, he said the people to whom he wanted to convey the message from the gathering would \u2018cut it\u2019 off if he spoke in those languages.<\/p>\n

Read also: Zardari ‘indifferent’ to formation of electoral alliance against PPP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

He stressed that the reason behind launching the protest movement against then prime minister Imran Khan in 2022 was not aimed at gaining power rather it solely based on the bad governance and a lack of vision of the PTI-led dispensation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted rights for the people and development of the country.\u201d Zardari said, the [then] PTI government was neither capable of delivering it or making the [state] institutions and organisations under the government to deliver,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Yet, Zardari did not stop himself from a veiled criticism of the previous coalition government that took over the government after ouster of the Imran Khan government through a no-confidence motion. The PPP was also a major partner in the 16-month government.<\/p>\n

He claimed that his advice was ignored by the previous PDM-led coalition government that caused $5-10 billion losses to the country. \u201cLast time, when we were in [the PDM] government I tried a lot but they didn\u2019t listen to my advice and we suffered $5 to $10 billion losses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sharing his vision, he spoke about harnessing wastewater, which is being released to the sea. The Country could earn $5 to $6 billion by treating the wastewater and utilising it for irrigation, fertiliser production and other purposes, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a practical leader [like me] can come up with such ideas,\u201d he said. He recalled that the PPP raised slogan of \u2018Pakistan khappay\u2019 [we want Pakistan] after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007, because \u201cwe know the country\u2019s worth\u201d.<\/p>\n

The PPP\u2019s co-chairman who is facing multiple cases and investigations by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), categorically stated that he was not leaving the country \u201cbecause the party workers\u201d want him to stay in Pakistan. \u201cNot because of anyone else but the workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read: Zardari, 18 others summoned in Park Lane reference<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zardari again threw his party\u2019s weight behind those Afghans refugees, who supposed to leave Pakistan or faced deportation. He questioned what would the returning Afghanis do in their country to eke out a living when their war-ravaged country had little to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big problem. We have to think about their [Afghan] children and their next generations,\u201d the former president said. \u201cWe have to understand their thoughts and we need to be able to do our part by making the arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the occasion, Zardari deplored Israel\u2019s savage attacks on innocent Palestinians in Gaza. He said that just feeling the pain of Palestinians was not enough. \u201cIt\u2019s not the time to limit ourselves to just feeling their pain. We need to practically give some help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zardari emphasised that he knew well what was being done to the weaker Muslim countries. He reminded that during the PPP-led federal government, the Pakistani envoy did not vote in favour of waging wars against Syria and Libya.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome friends warned us that we are going against the history. I reply that history of 40 years\u2019 relentless war rests next to us [Afghanistan],\u201d he said. Pakistan also suffered as a consequence in terms of lives and the economic fallout for four decades, he added.<\/p>\n

At the gathering, prominent political personality of the district, Ali Gohar Mahar announced his joining of the PPP. Senior PPP leader, including Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Muhammad Bux Mahar, Syed Khursheed Shah, Nisar Khuhro, Khalid Loond, Awais Laghari ,Nadir Magsi were also present.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n