Former President and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari called out the alleged favouritism shown to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan by the judiciary and the establishment.
In an interview with Hamid Mir, Zardari claimed that the only difference between him and Imran Khan "is a difference in domicile”. The PPP leader slammed Khan, stating that political workers stage protests but do not resort to violence. He also claimed that Khan was not a popular leader and instead paid people to support him.
He called for all political parties to come together and decide on a date for the next general elections in the country. Zardari emphasized the need for the elections to be held simultaneously across the country, as the federal government and Supreme Court have been in a virtual standoff over holding the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
While Zardari acknowledged that his party did not have an objection to the poll itself, he highlighted the importance of timing. “The problem is not that we are afraid of elections,” he said. The PPP leader maintained that his party had joined the National Assembly with just 14 seats in the past, stressing the need for talks between all political forces. “Our words carry weight when we talk to our allies,” he added.
Regarding former chief of army staff General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Zardari revealed that he and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had asked Bajwa not to seek resignation from Khan. The PPP leader claimed that they decided to topple the PTI-led government as the deposed prime minister had devised a plan to stay in power till 2035 by "picking an army chief of his choice”.
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