ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday that the opposition wanted to topple the government, but not the democratic system.

Talking to media persons at Parliament House, he described the recent multi-party conference as successful and said the opposition parties would devise a joint strategy which would bring ‘good news’ for the nation.

In reply to a question about the Balochistan National Party-Mengal, Mr Zardari said: “We did not ask Akhtar Mengal to vote for us and we have no worries that he had supported the government.”

Talking about the government’s move to file references against two judges of superior courts, the PPP co-chairman said he knew that the judges were under immense pressure, but it was a fact that he had raised their salaries. He said the prices of essential commodities had gone up in the country due to faulty policies of the government.

Answering a question regarding the opposition’s plan to get Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani removed, Mr Zardari said the opposition had required number of votes in the upper house for his removal constitutionally.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had done ‘injustice’ by not personally receiving Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on his official visit to Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2019