LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari does not see possibility of snap polls.

“I don’t foresee immediate elections in the country,” he told party cadre from Sargodha division here on Friday.

In the city since Oct 3, Mr Zadari is giving audience to PPP leaders and activists from across Punjab apparently in a bid to mobilise maximum workers for the Oct 18 Karachi meeting his son Bilawal is going to address.

Know more: Zardari refuses to take on PML-N

“The PPP, in consultation with other political forces, will give date for the elections,” he said, emphasising that the purpose of the polls should be to strengthen democracy and the parliament.

Questions funding of PTI, PAT sit-ins

Against the wishes of some local leaders, he reiterated the party’s resolve of supporting continuity of democracy in the country avoiding anything that could destabilise the system.

Continuing his diatribe against Imran Khan, Mr Zardari said a player could not become a politician and the vice versa.

Advising the PTI leadership against “ball tampering” in politics, he said it should follow Narinder Modi model of Gujarat and uplift the KP province mired in a host of problems.

He said as the quarters who managed the “political game” had been obliged, it’s time for the agitating parties (PTI-PAT) to pack up and go home instead of wasting more time. “The bubble will burst sooner than later,” he maintained.

The former president pointed out that it was a very expensive proposition to hold a public meeting for one day whereas the agitating parties had been staging the sit-ins for the last so many weeks.

“It raises questions (about funding) that need to be answered.”

He advised the PPP workers and general public not to worry as the agitating parties could not sustain the tempo and would go home as it was only a matter of some time.

He said the building of a hospital should not give right to the builders to do politics because many families had built hospitals in the country.

“If this is taken as the criteria, Abdul Sattar Edhi should be leading the politics,” he said, apologising that he did not mean to offend the well-respected social worker through this parallel.

Mr Zardari put emphasis in his speech on the organisation of the party in Punjab, saying he would interact with the office-bearers at district and union council levels after Oct18.

“I want to know each office-holder by his/her first name regardless the tier.”

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2014