LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman and former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday said by supporting the formation of military courts his party has helped secure the lives of future generations, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to PPP members during a gathering in Lahore, Zardari said that his party has helped save the country from a civil war.

The former president also said that in the current situation, political parties along with state institutions need to work towards reconciliation.

Zardari said taking the oath of office during the tenure of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was necessary at the time and that one has to be realistic while making decisions.

He said the PPP was the country’s largest political party and cannot be weakened.

He also announced during the gathering that the PPP would hold rallies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa and other parts of Pakistan.

Recently, the former president had said that his party would support the government’s counter-terrorism measures, including the establishment of military courts.

Read more: Zardari supports establishment of military courts

However, during Benazir Bhutto's death anniversary on December 27, 2014, Zardari had warned that under the new law on military courts one could not rule out the possibility of both him and Prime Minister Nawaz ending up behind bars.

He later had mollified his stand by demanding assurances that the new law would not be used against “any political party, scholar or journalist”.