JUI-F unhappy with Asif Zardari’s remarks at PDM meeting

• JUI-F's Ghafoor Haideri says he was taken aback by former president Asif Ali Zardari's comments during the PDM meeting.
• Says they do not want the PPP to move away from the Opposition alliance.
• "We are awaiting the PPP’s decision on resignations," says Haideri.

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KARACHI: The JUI-F, an important party in the Opposition alliance, has expressed its unhappiness over remarks made by former president Asif Ali Zardari during the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) recent meeting.

Speaking to Geo News on Wednesday, senior JUI-F leader Ghafoor Haideri criticised the PPP supremo’s stance on the PDM resignation issue, terming it “unhelpful". He said Zardari's stance is "undermining” the alliance.

Haideri said all along, they kept the PPP with them and tolerated the differences also, but they did not want PPP to move away from PDM.

Read more: 'Disagreements within PDM are common, but alliance still stands united:' Fazl

"We are awaiting the PPP’s decision on resignations," he said.

The cracks in the PDM went public after differences emerged on the resignation issue and a verbal duel occurred between PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Asif Zardari over Nawaz Sharif’s London stay.

Haideri, who was also PDM’s candidate for the Senate deputy chairman seat, said the speech of the PPP co-chairperson was disconcerting and disturbing. It aimed at undermining the Opposition alliance, which was a setback for all of us, he said.

After hearing Zardari on Tuesday, it appeared as if now only the formal bidding adieu remains. However, he said they will try their best till the end to keep the opposition alliance intact.

“He is a senior politician and we cannot react to that.” JUI-F president Maulana Fazlur Rehman advised the PPP to hold its internal meeting over the contentious issue.

The time has come to drop the atomic bomb, that was referred to as such by the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, Haideri said.

Read more: Zardari apologises to Maryam over remarks about Nawaz in PDM meeting

The JUI-F leader said all meetings of the PDM discussed the resignation issue.

The JUI-F had independently held the Million March and the Azadi March before. “The time of attacking the government with the resignations is most opportune to rattle it,” the JUI-F leader claimed.

“We agreed to the PPP’s position on by-polls and the Senate election,” he said.

“I should have received the seven rejected votes of Senator Gilani, but they were cast in favour of Mirza Afridi.” He demanded whether those votes belonged to the PML-N or the PPP should be investigated.

PPP says it was a reaction

Meanwhile, the PPP has also clarified that the comments were a reaction to what was said earlier during the moot.

PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, who also appeared in the Geo News programme, said that some remarks should not have been passed in the PDM’s Tuesday meeting.

When asked particularly by senior anchorperson Hamid Mir about remarks passed by Zardari, Kaira said that a lot of discussion was necessary but it was better if some remarks were not passed.

Kaira said whatever happened in the PDM meeting at best should not have happened. But to hold the PPP co-chairman entirely responsible for that would not show the complete picture.

“The tone and tenor used in the meeting should have been best avoided. Nawaz Sharif said something which he should not have. We (PPP) also reacted to that,” Kaira said