PPP to form govt after midterm polls, claims Zardari

TANDO ALLAH YAR: Former President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that his party will form the next government after the midterm polls. 

"The Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) government will work for the masses and will give them their due rights," the co-chairman said in a public gathering. "We are getting indication of mid-term polls."

In a thinly vieled reference to the opponents, Zardari said that a fake political entity is always created to counter organic political parties. 

The former president said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief wouldn't have been prime minister had there been free and fair polls. 

"Because Imran didn't come into power through votes he doesn't care about them," he said. "Let's see what will be the result of this game."

Without naming any political leader or state institution, Zardari said that people are against him because of the 18th amendment. "They are pressuring me. Even if I agree to there demands, the party, Sindh, Punjab and KP won't agree with it," he said. 

Taking a jibe at the government, he said that the government did not know that the dollar spike raises the national debt, and increases inflation. 

'Jail is my second home'

Zardari, in a media talk, before the gathering said that his party always gets further stronger whenever action is taken against it. "Jail is our second home. What will they get after arresting us," the PPP's co-chairman said.

Zardari rebuked the PTI's government by calling it an under-16 team. "They can finally start doing governance if they stop arresting people."

The PPP leader said that his party doesn’t want to weaken institutions but an entity has a wrong perception that his party is scared.

"They have a misconception that we don't take them into account because we are scared or we want power from them. We just want neutrality from them. We will take power on our own," he said. 

Zardari said that the Federal Board of Revenue is not able to collect taxes because revenues cannot be increased through coercion.

"It's a government of blind people. They don't know that the country will get stronger by strong provinces," he said.

The PPP leader said that the party leadership is not being given permission to visit Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"Bilawal is told that he can not go there but on the very same day PM Imran is escorted in the area," he added.

The PPP leader said that the stock market is in tatters and so is the business situation all over Pakistan. 

"They are stealing employment from people by destroying shops. Quite contrary to there election promises. The government should have given an alternate space to the Empress Market shopkeepers before demolishing their shops," he said.

Punjab info minister reacts to Zardari’s statements

Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said that former president Asif Ali Zardari has now resorted to blackmailing.

“Those talking about puppets, should tell if he became a president by going to a commission,” said the minister.

PTI leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi said that the arrest of the person ‘who looted Sindh for 11 years is near’.