ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto was in a buoyant mood on Thursday when she left for Liaquat Bagh after meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai here.
Journalists found Ms Bhutto looking fresh and happy outside the hotel.
When a reporter asked her to comment on Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s statement that the PML-Q would get 110 seats in the Jan 8 elections, Ms Bhutto rejected the claim and said the former ruling party would be able to bag only 10 seats. She said her party had prepared a plan to resist government moves to rig the polls.
Later, about Ms Bhutto’s meeting with President Karzai, the PPP’s media office issued a handout stating that the two world leaders had held a 45-minute meeting in which matters of mutual interest, including militancy, terrorism and extremism issues were discussed.
The leaders agreed that rising militancy had threatened not only the stability of the two countries but the entire Muslim world. They stressed the need for taking urgent steps to contain it.
Ms Bhutto pointed out that there were two kinds of madressahs in the country. The majority of the madressahs, she said, were doing a great service by imparting traditional religious education but the “political” madressahs, which were in a minority, had sprung up during the last two decades and were preaching violence, militancy and extremism.
Ms Bhutto said the PPP had a clear-cut plan and policy for containing militancy.
The two leaders also emphasised the need for expanding trade ties between the two countries which had decreased from $1.1 billion two years back to $600 million now.
President Hamid Karzai paid tributes to Ms Bhutto as a courageous leader. He said that he, the Afghan government and Afghan people had great respect for her. President Karzai had also wished her a peaceful and fair election campaign.
Ms Bhutto said that during her visit to Peshawar on Wednesday, ‘a scare was created’ to disrupt the rally but all such efforts failed and people turned out in large numbers to attend the public meeting.
“Later, Ms Bhutto left for Liaquat Bagh to address the PPP public meeting, (which proved to be her last),” added the handout.
