LAHORE: Former president Asif Ali Zardari sees foreign hand behind what is happening in the country on political, security and other fronts.

“Whatever is happening in Pakistan has international links,” Mr Zardari, who is co-chairperson of the PPP, was quoted as telling the party cadre from Faisalabad division here on Thursday.

“Today the pressure is being exerted on the Line of Control. We have two lines of control now – one along Afghanistan and the other along India,” he said and advised the national leadership to “be cautious and make every move carefully in the larger interest of the nation and the country”.

Also read: PPP protecting democracy, not PM, says Zardari

He termed PTI chairman Imran Khan’s politics a water bubble and alleged that some hidden hands were behind the PTI chairman.

‘Whatever is happening in Pakistan has international links’

He asserted that those chanting Go Nawaz Go would start shouting `Go Imran Go’ after PTI’s politics is exposed.

About his delayed entry in the Punjab politics, Mr Zardari said that although he visited Lahore several times after the 2013 elections he avoided testing Punjab’s political nerves because in his opinion the weather was not suitable for politics.

Rejecting a perception of being a friendly opposition to the PML-N government, he said: “We are in majority in Senate and will fight Nawaz Sharif on right issues, but won’t indulge in negative politics.”

He said the PPP was strong enough to dictate terms when the next general election is held – after three years or earlier. “We’ll set the election timing...and we will come to power according to our timing.”

He again endorsed PTI’s allegations about rigging by returning officers in last year’s polls and said that wherever ROs were weak PPP candidates performed quite well.

Recalling the tough times the PPP government faced at the hands of former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, he said the court would issue stay orders on every project and the government had to serve the people under tough circumstances.

Indirectly expressing doubts about some judges of higher courts, he said the judges appointed by Iftikhar Chaudhry would retire one day, thanks to the system evolved by democracy (parliament through 18th and 19th constitutional amendments).

About ensuring access of party workers to the leadership, Mr Zardari said he wanted to remain in touch with people of Punjab at union council levels through latest communication gadgets.

He said he wished to build a “corporate Pakistan” and that would be possible only in a good democratic atmosphere.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2014