ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that Nawaz Sharif was an opportunist and is opportunist and meeting with him was impossible. He also refused to meet Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who had approached Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly asking him to play his role in arranging a meeting with Asif Ali Zardari the other day. The political gap between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) further widened in the current political horizon as former president Asif Ali Zardari Thursday once again refused to hold the meeting with the ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif. According to sources, Asif Ali Zardari has remarked that Nawaz Sharif is responsible for the current political situation in Pakistan. “The disqualified premier talks about Charter of Democracy only when he finds himself in trouble,” commented Zardari. Asif Ali Zardari response came after in an exclusive talk of Nawaz Sharif with Geo News on Wednesday in which he stated that he was willing to have an unconditional dialogue with Asif Ali Zardari. Meanwile, PPP Chairman dubbing Nawaz Sharif ‘opportunist’ said that he had been involved in every conspiracy hatched against democracy. Speaking to media persons in Lahore, Bilawal advised the former premier to accept the rule of law. He went on to say that Nawaz Sharif had been a part of each and every conspiracy hatched against democracy over the last 30 years. He (Nawaz Sharif) is a threat to democracy, Bilawal alleged. He requested the former prime minister to refrain himself from what he is doing. All parties are agreed on the continuity of democratic process in the country. The PPP had laid down sacrifices for democracy as it has its certain ideology about democracy. However, Nawaz Sharif knows nothing about it (democracy), Bilawal said. While Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah had conveyed the message of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to meet Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari seeking help to pass the constitutional amendment to pave the way for the delimitation of the electoral constituencies on the basis of the provisional results of the population census. The government was facing difficulties to get two third majority in the Senate for the passage of the constitutional amendment and seeking the PPP help to provide required strength for the passage of the constitutional amendment. The sources in the PPP told The News that the PPP had decided to make no compromise with the government on this issue and would follow the other opposition parties in the Senate and would take decision which the other opposition parties would decide. Meanwhile, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari has said that there is a vast difference between the leadership of PPP and PMl-N. He said that former president Asif Ali Zardari strengthened democracy and Parliament and gave powers to the federating units. Parliament became the center of politics. Whereas Nawaz Sharif has used Parliament to promote and safeguard his family’s interests. Now he has turned Parliament into a laughing stock,” he said. PPP secretary general said that Nawaz Sharif is trying to take help from the examples of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto but does not remember his violations of Charter of Democracy. “Nawaz Sharif left Alliance for Restoration of Democracy and formed All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) at a time when Charter of Democracy was most relevant,” he said. Syed Nayyar Bukhari said that PML-N members are annoyed at Nawaz Sharif’s policies and are raising voices against PML-N stance on different issues. He said that PPP workers knew very well to defend democracy and ready to offer sacrifices for it. “Nawaz Sharif is making a noise to protect his family and not the democracy, “he said.
