Only parliament can take decisions for nation: Zardari

HYDERABAD: The Pakistan People's Party Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, said only parliament can take decisions for the nation, and not "individuals with three-year terms." "What right does an individual with a three year service tenure has to make decisions about the nation?" the PPP-co-chairman questioned, while addressing a public gathering here on Saturday.

"Only the parliament has this right and no one else." Without naming anyone, Zardari said they keep visiting different places, questioning things. "What do you have to do [with them]?, he asked. "There are 900,000 case pending in courts, you should look into those," Zardari said. "You have no future, why do you decide about the future of things? I say it even today that one should act while remaining within the legal and constitutional bounds,"he said.

Criticising the government, he said the government functionaries say 100 days were far too little for them to deliver in such a short period. "We got rid of Musharraf in 100 days, we got Swat freed in 100 days," the PPP co-chairman noted, recalling his party's tenure in the centre. He said only a party of the masses could understand their needs and problems, not the "parties that are made."

Zardari said if he could run the government well it does not imply that he could play good cricket also. "I don't know how to play cricket. I know politics and I can do that," he said. "Politics is when Musharraf reached home and said 'I don't know what happened and how it happened'."

Zardari suggested the government to provide opportunities to the local businessmen and facilitate the stock exchange, adding "Only technology and experts should be invited from abroad." The PPP leader lashed out at the PTI government and termed it incompetent and asked the rulers to stop mockery with the country and the masses. The PPP co-chairperson criticised the ongoing anti encroachment drive and said the PTI government deprived over 0.5 million people from their livelihood in Karachi while claiming to build 50 lakh houses.

Zardari said the government should provide alternate places to the people before the anti encroachment operation. I can feel the pain of the poor in the country, he said. It is our first priority to provide the masses with drinking water, we need to work today for our future and come up with new ways to generate water resources, Zardari said and added the entire province is facing a severe shortage of water.