BADIN: Firebrand former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfikar Ali Mirza has said that he foresees Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s “game over” within the next four months.

He said in reaction to Mr Zardari‘s statement that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government’s days were numbered that Mr Zardari’s conclusion was based on miscalculated reading of the situation.

“It is most likely Zardari’s own days have been numbered. I do not think that PTI government is going anywhere within next four months but conversely I see Mr Zardari’s story is going to be over within four or five months,” he said.

Dr Mirza, who was former aide to Mr Zardari and presently main leader of Grand Democratic Alliance, was speaking to media persons in Khoski on Wednesday.

He praised Prime Minister Imran Khan for showing “courage” in his mission to tighten the noose round the necks of those, who had “mercilessly plundered” public money. Imran Khan would remain in power and keep sending all the corrupt to jail without any fear or favour, he said.

“For the first time in 70 years of the country’s chequered history the corrupt are being chased and arrested,” he said and added that God had given enough courage to the prime minister to carry out the good work of purging the country of all corrupt people.

He said that the corrupt would not get safe exit this time and hoped that economic situation would improve soon. Ruthless accountability was inevitable to cleanse society of all types of corruption and it must to be carried on against the “dacoits and thieves” who plundered public money, he said.

He said in answer to questions about nagging water crisis in the district that he was the first landowner of the district, whose watercourses were deprived of water by the officials concerned on the directives of Mr Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.

He deplored that most people of Badin district were being punished for supporting him and his family in general elections. Mr Zardari and his cronies were directly involved in the deepening crisis created by artificial water shortage in the district, he said.

“It is sheer criminal act on the part of officials of Sida and irrigation department to deprive people of the district of their due share in water for the cultivation of rice,” he said.

He warned Sindh rulers to stop meting out step-motherly treatment to farmers of the district and appreciated people of the district for waging a peaceful movement for their rights. If farmers were not supplied water it would lead to another man-made disaster in the district, which had already suffered a great deal from massive corruption by PPP leaders, he said.

He said that people of Badin and the rest of the province would soon heave a sigh of relief.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2019