Jahangir Badr said the president was a symbol of the federation and all provinces would be affected if the president was banned from participating in political activities. – File Photo

LAHORE: Pakistan People's Party General Secretary Jahangir Badar has said the PPP legal team will challenge the decision of the Lahore High Court on two offices of the president.

Addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club here on Saturday, he said the PPP respected courts and did not want to pressurise them, adding it just sought justice from the judiciary.

He said the office of the president was a symbol of the federation and all provinces would be affected if the president was banned from participating in political activities.

Badar said the PPP had never targeted any institution but it was always targeted, adding that it was the basic right of every citizen to discuss any decision which affected him.

He said the PPP was the largest political party of the country and its workers had to face several tests and trials, adding the party now knew how to protect its leadership as it had sacrificed hundreds of its workers and leaders including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheed and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed.

To a question, he said that it was unfortune that almost all decisions of courts against the PPP had connection with Sindh province.

He said that it was also a perception that almost all court decisions in political cases were against the PPP which had contributed the most to the restoration of the judiciary and democracy.

He said that presidents of all the countries came to power through a political process and with the support of a political party.

Badar remarked that all former presidents of the country including Ziaul Haq, Ayub Khan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Farooq Leghari and Pervaiz Musharraf participated in politics during their presidential period but no decision was made against them.

He said that President Asif Ali Zardari was not in the country and such a decision in his absence was not in national interest.

He said the PPP had not yet decided to protest against the decision but some local organisations were protesting on their own.