Zardari says PPP to remain 'at war' with PML-N

GARHI KHUDA BUX: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday said that his party will remain at war with political rival and ruling party PML-N.

Zardari was addressing a rally in Garhi Khuda Buksh on the 39th death anniversary of party founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

"No matter what happens, we will remain at war with [PML-N] because you are not democratic, you [Nawaz] are like a Mughal emperor," said the former president.

Zardari also warned that his party would take the Punjab government 'away' from Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N).  He warned that just like the recently held elections for Senate chairmanship, he would not let the ruling party win the upcoming general elections in Punjab — a voting stronghold of PML-N. 

"I had said six months back that I won't let Nawaz get his party's Senate chairman elected and I am saying now that we won't let PML-N form its government in Punjab," he said. 

"No matter who we have to form an alliance with, we won’t do it with PML-N," the PPP co-chairman said adding that his party will take Nawaz to the point of quitting politics.

He also accused the ruling party of joining hands with the establishment to conspire against PPP.

Discussing the recently-held elections for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman positions, Zardari accused Nawaz of attempting to divide the party by announcing to support former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani as a candidate for the position.

PML-N and its allies had decided to support Rabbani, however, the PPP. However, When asked by the media, in a joint press conference with JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, that the PML-N had shown willingness to support Rabbani, the PPP co-chairman had smiled wryly and said, “Thank you very much, I do not want that”.

'Taliban’s long-lost brother an extension of Nawaz'

Later, speaking to the gathering PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari lashed out on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan. 

The PPP leader said that the people of Pakistan have the choice to opt for either the legacy of Zia-ul-Haq or Bhutto. 

“There is a third one too, who is waving the flag of hypocrisy and whose agenda is U-turn,” Bilawal said. “Taliban’s long-lost brother Imran is an extension of Nawaz.”

"Imran and Nawaz’s politics and hypocrisy is one and the same."

He accused Imran and Nawaz of belittling one another in their aim to get in power and make money.

"If Nawaz and Imran had done any work for the welfare of the people, they wouldn't have been doing a propaganda against us," said the PPP leader.

He alleged that the Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Imran Khan didn’t inaugurate a single hospital in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past five years, while the Sindh government opened 517 new health facility centers.

Bilawal said that Nawaz's 'respect for vote' campaign is a joke with the nation.

"Someone who has never in his life respected the vote or sanctity of the Parliament is nowadays being a torchbearer of it," he said, adding that his party has always respected judiciary despite being adversely affected from its decisions.

Speaking about his late grandfather, Bilawal said Bhutto was the first person to stand for democracy in the country, adding that the country before Bhutto’s martyrdom had tolerance and Pakistan after his martyrdom is plagued with terrorism.