Imran’s govt won’t last long: Zardari

BAHAWALPUR: Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday said PM Imran Khan was unlikely to stay longer in power as he was victimising his political rivals in the name of accountability.

Addressing a gathering in Sadiqabad, Zardari took aim at Imran Khan, saying that the premier could “neither handle the economy nor the government”.

“I don’t think the captain’s government will last long,” said the Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman. “If you don’t deliver, you will have to go home. They think we brought the 18th Amendment for our use. The world has progressed. Truth cannot be hidden. They will have to go home if they don’t work,” he said and reminded that there were no political prisoners during the PPP rule. “If given another opportunity, we will bring a system that the country needs. If I hadn’t given powers to the parliament, a dentist would not have been the president of the country today,” he added.

Pointing to the prime minister’s recent statement on U-turns, Zardari said neither Napoleon Bonaparte nor Hitler was remembered as heroes. “Hitler killed 55 million people, he was no hero.”

He said Imran Khan’s false promises failed to work according to the aspirations of the nation. The prime minister failed to understand political issues. “Don’t try to become a king after reading two books,” he advised the premier. The circumstances were the same when his party came into power, he said and hoped that Allah would once again provide the PPP with an opportunity to rule the country. “We are the true representative of people. We are not puppets,” he said. Taking a jibe at the federal government, he said the PTI failed to create the South Punjab province. “You [PTI] stole our slogan [of creation of South Punjab province]. We said great, you take this step, someone should. Now they don’t have the courage. Why don’t they announce [a separate province]? Why don’t they divide Punjab’s budget? They never intended to [act on their promise]. They don’t have any understanding of politics,” he added.

He said the deprivations of South Punjab people would be ended only by the PPP as he and his party didn’t make any discrimination between a Sindhi and Seraiki. He announced the Sindh government would build a university and a well-equipped hospital at the Sindh-Punjab border. He said the PPP would give more autonomy to the provinces when elected.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and former Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood also addressed the gathering and thanked the people of South Punjab and Rahim Yar Khan for attending the gathering.