LAHORE: President of Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarian Asif Ali Zardari has said that instead of battling the coronavirus the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government is fighting against the opposition.

Talking to PPP’s Punjab chapter president Qamar Zaman Kaira by phone here on Wednesday, he said the rulers had become active to limit the constitutional and financial powers of the federating units.

He recalled that the PPP-P had assumed power in 2008 when the country was a victim of terrorism and in a state of disharmony and the party developed a consensus for launching an operation against terrorists in Swat and restored peace in the country. He said there was a shortage of grain in the country [in 2008] and people were fighting for wheat flour but the then government made the country self-sufficient in food and amended the Constitution with a national consensus to grant the provinces their rights.

The former president of Pakistan said the present rulers were again pushing the country towards the situation prevailing during Musharraf era, when wrong federal policies had put at risk the very federation.

He said the PPP-P gave Khyber Pakhtunwah its name and accorded status of a province to Gilgit-Baltistan, while the present rulers were spoiling the national consensus developed after much efforts.

“The sitting prime minister is following in the footsteps of Gen Musharraf,” Mr Zardari said.

Mr Zardari said that coming days would be difficult because of coronavirus pandemic and the country needed a consensus to counter the threat.

Mr Kaira briefed Mr Zardari on the political and health issues being faced by Punjab.

Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Mr Kaira, Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmmod, Chaudhry Manzoor and others have condoled the death of Mubarak Ali, the official photographer of the party.

Fondly called as Chacha (uncle) by all, his affair with the party spanned over four decades. He suffered brain hemorrhage a few days ago and was admitted to the Lahore General Hospital, where he breathed his last on Wednesday.

His funeral prayers were offered at his residence in Harbanspura and in the Punjab Housing Society separately in the evening. He was laid to rest in Chungi Amar Sadhu area graveyard.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2020