ISLAMABAD: Former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said he has taken the responsibility of implementing the agreements that former allies of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government signed before the vote on no-confidence resolution against ex-premier Imran Khan, adding that he was also a “guarantor” in the accord signed with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

In an exclusive interview with Geo TV on Wednesday, Mr Zardari said since he had gathered all political parties together to oust the PTI government, it was also his responsibility to oversee the implementation of the agreements signed with all allies, including the MQM-P, Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) of Akhtar Mengal, Shahzain Bugti of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and Khalid Magsi of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

Asked about the chances of success of the alliance with the MQM-P, Mr Zardari said people called Karachi a city of 22 million but he believed it was a city of 30 million people. Improvement of Karachi was necessary for improvement of Sindh and Pakistan, he said.

The PPP leader denied the allegations of horse-trading, saying he was totally against this practice. “Who can buy (Akhtar) Mengal, (Shahzain) Bugti or (Khalid) Magsi?” he asked. He said allied political parties only talked about the next elections with PTI dissidents as some of them might get PPP ticket, some PML-N’s ticket and some could obtain the ticket of JUI-F.

Bilawal compares situation after no-trust vote with storming of Capitol Hill

Asked to give the time frame for the next general elections, he said it would be a collective decision of all allies. The coalition was not afraid of going into elections, but it wanted to first fix issues related to finance and foreign policy matters which had been damaged by the PTI regime.

About allegations by Imran Khan regarding the foreign conspiracy behind his ouster, Mr Zardari said the US perhaps even did not remember [issues of] Pakistan nowadays as it was busy in other important issues such as dealing with Russia and economic recession in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Khan was a ‘habitual liar’ and talked with ‘too much exaggeration’, the former president said.

The PPP leader said the PTI chief had the wrong impression that he would sweep elections if they were held immediately. Even after the 2018 general elections, the PTI had managed to form the government with the help of independents who had been brought close to the party by Jahangir Tarin.

He was of the opinion that President Arif Alvi should have administered the oath to PM Shehbaz Sharif.

About the smear campaign against an institution, Mr Zardari said no one could stop such campaigns by force and it was the responsibility of the leadership of political parties to play their due role to stop it. He noted that the PTI’s social media was well-entrenched. He said the Constitution had determined the jurisdiction of every institution. “Neither the military should intervene in civilian issues nor civilians should meddle with the affairs of the army,” Mr Zardari asserted.

According to him, inflation was the biggest challenge being faced by the country today as attention should be given to deal with that challenge.

Bilawal for electoral, economic reforms

Talking to CNN, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stressed it was essential for all the parties which had collectively ousted Imran Khan to work together for the restoration of democracy, work towards electoral reforms and address economic issues.

Regarding the allegations made by Mr Khan that there was a US-backed regime change in Pakistan, Mr Bhutto- Zardari compared the situation in the country during the last days of Mr Khan’s government with the one witnessed on January 6, 2021 when the supporters of ex-president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Hill. “He [Mr Khan] came up with this fake lie of an international conspiracy led by the US to oust him, but the fact is that he is the first prime minster in the history of Pakistan to be ousted through a constitutional process,” said the PPP chairman.

About Mr Khan’s popularity visible on social media and at public gatherings, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said “fascist”-like leaders world over have their cult following, but that did not reflect the majority of the country’s population. He said Mr Khan was relying on the general anti-American sentiments in Pakistan to present himself as a victim.

In response to a question, he said there was no confirmation that he was going to be Pakistan’s next foreign minister, and the decision would be taken by his party and in consultations with the coalition partners.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2022