ISLAMABAD: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Monday that the “Zardari group” had taken the country to a situation from which no single party could steer it out.

When asked if the PML-N would contact other parties to broaden its anti-government campaign, Chaudhry Nisar, who was addressing a press conference, said: “There is a need to prepare ground rules first. If the parties, including Jamaat-i-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf, agree to that with the sole aim of saving Pakistan then the PML-N will welcome them.”

When requested to elaborate, he said the political parties should keep other issues aside and prepare the ground rules not for acquiring power, but for saving Pakistan and resolving people’s problems.He did not give a categorical reply to the question whether the PML-N which, according to some political experts, is facing a political isolation, planned to invite other parties to join the anti-government movement.

Although the PML-N leader, as usual, lambasted President Zardari and the policies of the present government, the main target of his criticism were PTI chief Imran Khan and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Unlike his other party colleagues, Chaudhry Nisar acknowledged that the cricketer-turned politician had managed to arrange a good show in Lahore on Sunday, but said conclusions could not be drawn on the basis of just one public meeting. He said politics was not a twenty-twenty cricket match. “You cannot bring about revolution in the country by gathering people from different cities in one city. You cannot change politics with just one public meeting,” he said.

Responding to Imran Khan’s allegations in the cricketing language, he said his party was ready to face Imran’s bowling. But he warned the PTI chairman to be ready to face “bouncers and googlies” when the PML-N would start bowling.

“We are ready to face your bowling provided you follow the rules and don’t resort to ball-tampering,” he said.

The PML-N leader alleged that Imran Khan’s cricketing career was full of incidents of “ball-tampering and betting”.

About Imran Khan’s remark that he would bowl out two players with one ball, Chaudhry Nisar said Mr Khan should know that under the rules one could not get two wickets in one ball.

“If you want to do politics like cricket we are ready for it, but we will not allow you to change ground rules in connivance with umpires,” he said.

Referring to gossips doing the round in political circles that the PTI is being supported by the military establishment, the PML-N leader said people were talking that “umpires are in league with you”.

He condemned attacks on PML-N’s offices in Sindh and alleged that President Zardari was trying to convert politics into a war.He said the success of PML-N’s public meeting had upset the PPP which had started using un-parliamentary language against the party leadership.

Responding to Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan’s statement that a “psychic patient” was ruling the Punjab, he said his party also had the right to ask about the medical certificate submitted by President Zardari’s lawyer in a Swiss court about his mental illness.

The PML-N leader also lashed out at the MQM for organising a rally in support of President Zardari. He recalled that the same party had arranged rallies in support of Gen Musharraf, but said the party did not come to the aid of the former military dictator when he was in deep trouble. He asked as to why the MQM did not hold a rally in support of Gen Musharraf when he was facing the threat of impeachment. Instead, he said, the MQM silently abandoned Musharraf’s boat and landed in Zardari’s ship.

Chaudhry Nisar said he was surprised that the PPP and the MQM were targeting only the PML-N despite the fact that Imran Khan had levelled similar allegations of corruption against President Zardari in his public meeting.

In response to a question, he said Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif had already declared their assets and Imran Khan also should disclose details of his assets and the source of money he was getting for arranging public meetings.

The PML-N leader also dispelled a perception that his party had launched the movement in an attempt to remove the government before next year’s Senate elections. He said his party was not worried about the possible outcome of the Senate polls scheduled in March.