Mutiny orchestrated in Punjab bureaucracy: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is now reaping what he has sown.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday at the Zardari House, he criticised Nawaz Sharif for his rhetoric against the institutions, saying weakening of the institutions would only weaken the country. “Nawaz Sharif is targeting the institutions of the country with his rhetoric and provoking the people against them,” he added.

Zardari blamed the Punjab government for the current ‘rebellion’ in the Punjab bureaucracy after the arrest of former director general Lahore Development Authority Ahad Cheema. He said a rebellion is being created in the Punjab bureaucracy as some people think that after Mian Sahib, they would also face the consequences.

He said if the institutions weaken, then the example of Afghanistan should be kept in mind where all the institutions had been destroyed and the allied forces, despite spending trillions of dollars, are unable to establish peace.

He said when Justice Qayyum awarded sentence to him, a leaked voice tape proved that Shahbaz Sharif was dictating the judge for awarding him the jail term. “But we did not go against the institutions and even did not ridicule the institutions and got relief from there,” he added.

To a question about the “ouster” of PML-N from the Senate elections, Zardari did not agree with the questioner, saying the PML-N outcry of being out from the Senate election is not correct as their candidates are in the race to contest the Senate elections asindependent candidates. About the motion to put Pakistan on the watch list of Financial Action Task Force, the former president said it is a failure of the government.

He said it is the government's incompetence that it allowed India to taken advantage. He said the PPP has been asking the government for the last four years to appoint a full-fledged foreign minister to bring the country out of diplomatic isolation. “Our neighbour India is shrewd and making all-out efforts to isolate us diplomatically,” he said adding there is no need to worry about it as the PPP had also faced similar situation in the past, and foiled their attempts through diplomacy, with the help of the establishment and the parliament. He said Pakistan’s enemies are making efforts to weaken Pakistan and even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is investing in the Middle East and getting permissions for establishing temples there. “Everyone knows how the Muslims in India are facing problems and how their lives have been made difficult there. Even many Muslim families are forced to leave India and settle in Canada and other countries,” he added. “India is taking advantage of the government incompetence and if anyone thinks that India can ever become Pakistan’s friend, he is wrong,” he said. He said India is no more secular and has been turned into Hindutva. “However, if it attempts any misadventure, we are ready for it,” he added.

In reply to a question, he said Nawaz Sharif did not do anything without kickbacks. He did not give due share to other provinces: Pakhtuns, Baloch and Sindhis but invested only in Lahore and even neglected other parts of the Punjab. “I went to Taunsa Sharif recently and I saw the condition of its roads. Even the old areas of Lahore city are in a shambles. They have only spent money on railroads and roads that lead to their own lands," he said.

About sending Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia, Zardari defended the government decision, saying he could not oppose the decision because he could not "let down the Custodian of the Holy Ka’aba", and it is the legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto government, which continues in successive governments. “1,600 soldiers could not win a war, they can only train people," he said. In a reply to another question, Zardari said it is for the first time that "institutions of the state are working in complete neutrality.” He praised Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa's initiative to fence the Pak-Afghan border and hoped the relations with Afghanistan would improve in future.

Defending PPP's loss in the last year's by-election in NA-120 and earlier this month in Lodhran, in which both the candidates of the PPP lost miserably, Zardari accused the ruling party of spending billions of rupees on their campaigns in order to grab votes. He said a budget of Rs4 billion was reserved for Lahore due to which they got votes from there. The amount was invested in development schemes as well for provision of gas and electricity and they managed to win the elections."

Getting votes is easy if your party is in power, as the provincial administration is also theirs, while half of the Punjab's politics is run through SHOs,” he said adding unless and until there is change in the Punjab administration, there would be no change in the police, most of whom are PML-N men. However, he admitted that if former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and PPP South Punjab President had visited Lodhran the election results would have been different.

He declared the 2013 elections as RO (returning officers) elections. The Audit department objected to printing ballot papers from the private printers. He, however, admitted that PPP's performance "might not have been up to the mark" and said the party has formed new "election rules" as well as a manifesto.

About the upcoming Senate elections, he said unlike the candidates nominated by other parties, the PPP has issued tickets to political people, who had roots in their respective constituencies. To another question about horse-trading in the upcoming Senate elections, he said: “Who could win better than Nawaz Sharif in horse-trading.”

In a reply to another question about his role in the change of Balochistan government, he denied his role. However, he said with a smile: “I had only prayed for a change.” About the return of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Zardari said when Musharraf comes back then the law would come into action.

Asked about the third marriage of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and whether he would congratulate him, Zardari said he did not want to make a comment on it as it was his personal matter, either he marries thrice or for four times. “But we have no such relationship that I would send him good wishes on his third marriage,” he remarked.

To another question about the impression that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was kept behind and he is running all the affairs of the party, the former president did not agree with the questioner. He said he did not see how Bilawal had defended Pakistan better than him at the international forums. Other party leaders including PPP Secretary General Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman, PPP Punjab Secretary General Chaudhry Manzoor, Senator Farhatullah Babar and Nadeem Afzal Chan were also present on the occasion.