LAHORE: Former president Asif Ali Zardari claims a major breakthrough in Punjab politics hinting that many a big gun will soon join the Pakistan Peoples Party.

“Many political bigwigs are in touch with me. You’ll soon hear good announcements (from these political figures about joining the PPP),” he told a gathering of the party’s ex-ticket holders belonging to Sargodha division at Bilawal House here on Tuesday.

Mr Zardari is in the Punjab capital for the past week holding meetings with party leaders and former ticket-holders from various regions of the province to boost their morale and discuss strategies for the forthcoming general election.

The statement comes at a time when people are deserting the PPP in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr Zardari also assured jiyalas of reversing the impression that the PPP could not revive itself in provinces other than Sindh.

“We’ll change the political atmosphere in Punjab before the polls.”

Urging the ex-ticket-holders and party office-bearers to prepare themselves for the next polls, he said the PPP would fight vigorously in Punjab and boasted that the jiyalas would not only form the federal but also the Punjab government after the 2018 vote. Those who attended the meeting included ex-prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, ex-state minister for interior Tasneem Qureshi, Malik Khalid, Qazi Ghiasuddin and Iqbal Tikka.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2017