LAHORE, Aug 27: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will stage “welcome Zardari” rallies at all district headquarters in Punjab to show solidarity with the party’s co-chairperson contesting Sept 6 presidential election.

A decision to the effect was taken by party’s provincial executive committee here on Wednesday.

Provincial Secretary-General Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas told reporters that, unlike three other provincial houses, the Punjab Assembly had not passed a resolution to nominate Asif Zardari for the presidency because of the forces that had raised “wake up Punjabis” slogans in the past.

He said it was necessary to take some other step for showing that the people of Punjab were also supporters of the “chain of all four provinces”, he said.

Mr Abbas criticized PML-N patron Nawaz Sharif for pitching Justice (retired) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui against Mr Zardari as he had declared that Mr Zardari would be his (Nawaz’s) president.