Will not save PML-N govt again: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday that his party will not make efforts in the future to save the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), adding that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has emptied the national coffers.

"We have save their government twice, we will not save them again in the future," said the former president. 

The former president was addressing PPP's golden jubilee rally organised at the capital’s Parade ground.

Zardari said that whatever will unfold in the future will be on the basis of the public’s vote.

The PPP co-chair further said that on every PPP foundation day, he remembers the late Benazir Bhutto, who would have been proud to see her son Bilawal Bhutto today.

“I present to you Bilawal,” he said, adding “I believe, you people would be loyal to my children the way you were to Benazir and me”.

The former president added that after the five-year rule of PPP, the government fulfilled Benazir’s vision.

While mocking former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Zardari said that the former army chief has taken refuge outside Pakistan after coming to know that he has no future in politics.

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto earlier reached Islamabad’s Parade Ground, along with the party co-chair and former president Asif Ali Zardari, to commemorate the party’s golden jubilee.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto in his speech is expected to shed light on the party’s future political discourse.

The preparations for the rally were completed earlier after which supporters began amassing at the venue.

On December 4, Bilawal had announced the party’s plans to hold a rally in Islamabad in honour of the party’s golden jubilee celebrations.

While addressing media in the federal capital on Monday, Bilawal advised political opponent and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to take retirement from politics.

Nawaz should take a retirement for the betterment of democracy and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he remarked.

The PPP leader said that Nawaz-government has not remained serious in governance for the last four years. He said that from last four years the country did not have any foreign minister.

‘Demoralising to see writ of state erode’

On November 30, Bilawal said it was demoralising to see the writ of state erode.

The PPP chairperson was addressing a press conference on the occasion of PPP's golden jubilee celebrations.

“It was demoralising for my entire generation to see writ of the state erode, to see the abject surrender of the state, to see the rule of law made a mockery of, to see the freedom of press strangled," said the PPP chairperson with regard to the Faizabad sit-in and the subsequent agreement reached to end the protest.

Commenting on the country’s political situation, he further said that the conditions had deteriorated in recent times.

Bilawal added that there is democracy in Pakistan because of the PPP.

The country became a nuclear power due to the efforts of PPP, he remarked, adding that the party will also give the country a young prime minister.

The PPP scion also shared that the party wants the ruling party to complete its tenure. "We want a democratic transfer of power."

When asked about the general elections, Bilawal said that PPP is hoping that the elections are held on time. However, he remarked that the census process was quite “controversial.”

“The people of FATA are quite upset [with the census], about nine million people are missing from the census in Sindh,” he said.