KARACHI, June 2: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that he would not seek re-election after his five-year term expired in September because his party had lost majority in parliament.

However, if the PPP gave him a leadership role he would work for re-organising it and be a party worker, he said on Saturday in his first interview after the general elections to a group of journalists.

The president said the credit for a strong democracy and smooth transition of power following the May 11 elections went to all political forces that had ensured that democracy remained the main driving force of the country.

He said not only PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif but other political parties had also supported the PPP for the sake of democracy and successful transition. Replying to a question, he said he believed he had no right to contest the next presidential elections but he would take a decision if asked by the PPP.

The president said the PPP would play the role of constructive opposition.

He said that if Mr Sharif wanted to be elected as the consensus prime minister like Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani he would have to approach all the parties.

Regarding the PML-N chief’s suggestion for dialogue with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the president said if his government wanted to hold talk with those forces then there would be a need to determine if the Taliban had a political mindset because extremists usually did not negotiate.

President Zardari said the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and Swiss cases pertained to charges for which he had already spent eight years in jail. In his opinion the cases were controversial and carried no substance.

The president said the previous government had undertaken many development projects for Balochistan, but more progress could have been made had the Baloch people participated proactively in development of their province.

He said he had asked the speaker of the National Assembly to constitute a parliamentary committee to give the people of Balochistan their rights and he was pleased that it had done its job and a comprehensive package had been given to the province.

The president said the PPP-led government had not signed any agreement with the US about drone attacks. “Maybe Gen Pervez Musharraf had reached some sort of agreement with the US but I am not aware of any such agreement and I have not seen it during my tenure.” He said shooting down a drone was not an issue -- the real issue was the repercussions of such an action. He said the new government would have to take policy decisions keeping the national interest in mind.

About the future of Gen Musharraf he said it was up to Mr Sharif to decide what action he planned to take after assuming the office of the prime minister.—Agencies