Rivals live in fool’s paradise: Zardari

[Naveed Yaseen]

Says some people write our obituaries daily but get frustrated;denies differences with Army chief

By Asim Yasin

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said the PPP was a huge political force and that it was fully prepared to face all challenges politically.

The PPP would not be deterred and will continue its forward march in the interest of the people no matter what the opponents say or how much the party leadership is subjected to a campaign of vilification, he said while addressing the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the PPP here at the Presidency on Monday night.

“The PPP was not doled out its political victories in charity but it had triumphed with the help of the people of all the provinces,” he said.

In the meeting, the CEC members expressed complete confidence in the leadership of Zardari, also the party’s co-chairperson. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is vice-chairman of the PPP, was also present during the meeting.

It was for the first time that Asif Zardari chose the top forum of the party to respond to his political opponents.

Briefing the media, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar quoted Zardari as saying that the PPP had formed the government with its coalition partners at the Centre and in all the provinces after throwing out the dictator and restoring the Presidency to democratic forces.

The PPP co-chairman said the vilification campaign against the party was aimed at weakening it politically and warned that those hoping to weaken the party were living in a fool’s paradise.

He said that the party had a long history of rendering great sacrifices for the sake of democracy and the rights of the people, and was not afraid of rendering more sacrifices.

He said the results of elections in Gilgit-Baltistan had convincingly demonstrated yet again that the people stood by the PPP.

Without naming anyone, the president said that some people write “our obituaries” almost every day but the more they write them the more they get disappointed and frustrated.

“I salute the party, its workers and the people. We have stood together in the past and will stand together in the future as well,” Babar quoted Zardari as saying.

A number of participants spoke on the occasion and gave their own assessment of the political situation.

Besides Gilani, the meeting was attended by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jehangir Badar, Raza Rabbani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Faryal Talpur, Qaim Ali Shah, Naveed Qamar, Babar Awan, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Shahbaz Bhatti, Rehman Malik, Sardar Latif Khosa, Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali, Yousuf Talpur, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Farahnaz Ispahani, Mir Ejaz Jhakrani, Farzana Raja and other CEC members from all the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.

Online adds: Addressing the meeting, Zardari said the PPP had always faced crisis whenever it was voted to power. He said the establishment’s hidden hands had become active again due to which rumours and propaganda regarding differences within various constitutional and state components were being deliberately spread under a well organised plan.

He also laughed at the idea of any differences between himself and the prime minister, saying that both of them had met countless times and were in a close contact. The president also denied any differences with the Army chief.

Passing a joint resolution, the meeting decided to make the activists and cadres of the party more active to enable them to tackle the propaganda campaign against the party and its leadership.

It was decided to step up coordination and contacts with the people. Besides, it was also decided that the president would regularly address gatherings on telephone.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=25606