QUETTA, Oct 9: Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto has claimed that her party would win 170 National Assembly seats.

Speaking to reporters over telephone from London at a press conference at the press club on Wednesday, she said that the ISI, in a bid to arrest the rising popularity graph of the PPP, had to create a king’s party, but the people would foil the attempt.

Ms Bhutto claimed that the PPP had won the 1997 election, but the 16 per cent turnout was made 50 per cent to defeat her party.

The PPP leader said that those who were the looters and plunderers of the national wealth had joined the king’s party and were contesting in the present election.

Ms Bhutto was of the view that the ISI and the military rulers were tarnishing the image of the army by supporting the king’s party and asked the ISI to stop meddling in the country’s political affairs.

Replying a query the PPP chairperson said that her party was in favour of fair accountability.

Dispelling the impression that Nasirullah Babar had played a key role in installing the Taliban in Afghanistan, she said that a group of Taliban was created at the international level.

Ms Bhutto claimed that the Taliban gained strength after the PPP government. “Al Qaeda entered into Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden recruited young Afghans after dismissing the my government in Pakistan,” the PPP chairperson said, adding that during her tenure the Taliban remained restricted to Kandahar.