KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari Sunday night said the credit of strong democracy and smooth transition of power following the May 11 elections went to all political forces who ensured that the democracy remained the main driving force of the country.

In an interview with a panel of journalists, the president said not only Nawaz Sharif but other political parties also supported the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for the sake of democracy and made the transition a success.

To a question whether he wished to be in the run for the next term as the president, he said he believed he had no right to participate in the next presidential election. He, however, said that he would take a decision, if asked by the PPP.

The president said PPP would play the role of a constructive opposition in the next government, adding the party would not be an opposition for the sake of opposition.

To a question, President Zardari said that if Nawaz Sharif wanted to be elected as the consensus prime minister of the country like Yousuf Raza Gilani was elected in 2008, then he (Nawaz) himself would have to approach all the political parties.

To a question regarding PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's dialogue offer with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the president said, “If this government wanted to talk with these forces then there was a need to identify whether or not Taliban had political mindset, as extremists generally do not negotiate.”

Regarding NRO and Swiss cases against him, President Zardari said that National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and Swiss cases were the charges for what he had been sent to jail for eight years. He said that, in his opinion, these cases were controversial and carried no substance.

Speaking on Balochistan issue, the president said that the previous government undertook many development projects for Balochistan, however he said that more progress could have been achieved had the Baloch people participated proactively in development of their province.

He said that he himself asked Speaker of the National Assembly to constitute a Parliamentary Committee to give the rights to the people of Balochistan, and said he was pleased that it did its job and a comprehensive package was given to the province.

Regarding the drone attacks, the president said that the PPP-led government had not signed any agreement with the US government over drone attacks, however, he added that he was not aware if former President Musharraf had made any such agreement or not.

Responding to a question about the future of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, he said it was up to Prime Minister-in-waiting Nawaz Sharif to decide what action he planned to take, when he assumed his office.

Asked if he would pardon the former president, he said, if such a request was made to him by his family, he would take an appropriate decision.

To a question he said shooting down a drone aircraft was not an issue, and the real issue was the repercussions of such an action.

Regarding the law and order situation in Karachi, the president said “non-state actors” were active in the port city.