PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari said here on Saturday that his party had unwillingly accepted the results of the last general elections so that they could save democracy, and warned that they would not let returning officers fix the coming general elections.

While speaking to reporters at the residence of provincial PPP president Engineer Muhammad Humayun Khan, Mr Zardari said the elections were barely eight or nine months away, but no system to hold the elections had been announced. “We will move the court but [we] will not allow ROs to snatch our mandate from us. We had won the last elections but gave a sacrifice and accepted the results in the larger interest,” he said.

The PPP leader is on a three-day visit to Peshawar where he is expected to meet provincial leaders of the party, members of parliament and district heads, and also address a Fata grand jirga.

Mr Zardari said the PPP believed in democracy and its leaders had rendered sacrifices for it. He said his party had always fought against undemocratic forces and would continue their struggle to save democracy in the country. He advised other political parties to set aside their personal agendas and work for the country and to strengthen the democratic process.

Says PPP will not let returning officers fix coming general elections

“We will not cede space to anyone and will raise our voice at all platforms for the rights of people and development of the country,” he vowed, and warned that his party would not succumb to pressure but would take a firm stand on holding fair, impartial and transparent elections. He urged other parties to raise their voice for fair polls.

On the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said the issue needed to be resolved at the earliest according to the wishes of the people. He said every citizen of the country had a constitutional right to live their life with liberty and no one was allowed to deprive anyone of their due rights.

Mr Zardari also stressed the need for cordial diplomatic relations with neighbouring states, saying that there was tension on the borders and the government was duty-bound to take effective steps to solve core issues at the earliest. He said the government had proven itself to be unable to maintain peace along three borders.

Referring to the prime minister, the PPP co-chairperson said the country was being ruled by a Mughal king, but the PPP would hold him accountable. “When we came to power, the country was importing wheat and sugar and now it has the capacity to export these items but government chooses not to do so. [Our government] always took decisions for the welfare of poor people,” he claimed.

The PPP leader later visited the residence of Haji Muhammad Adil, former senator of the Awami National Party, and former PPP provincial minister Iftikhar Jhagra, and offered Fateha for the souls of the deceased leaders. He recalled the services they had rendered for the wellbeing of people and to strengthen democracy, and said the ANP should follow Mr Adeel’s style of politics.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2017