Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday ruled out any reconciliation with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Speaking during a meeting with senior party leader Faisal Saleh Hayat, Zardari rejected rumours of reconciliation. “The door of reaching an understanding with the PML-N has already been closed,” he said.

He reiterated that the PPP would follow its ideology under a political strategy. The PPP would actively contest the Lahore’s by-poll on NA-120, he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, co-chairman PPP Asif Zardari had said that he would not participate in any ‘grand national dialogue’ — the idea floated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif earlier this month.

Separately, Zardari called a meeting of PPP workers and leaders from NA-120 to discuss the upcoming by-elections.

According to party sources, the meeting will be held at 3pm at Bilawal House located in Bahria Town.

The meeting will discuss issues related to the by-elections and party candidate Faisal Mir’s campaign.

Sources said that the issue of direct participation of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto in the NA-120 campaign would also be discussed. “There is pressure on the party leadership to visit the constituency for getting better results in the by-elections,” sources said.

In the last general elections, PPP candidate Zubair Kardar only got 2,500 votes. Nawaz Sharif had bagged over 92,000 votes and Dr Yasmin Rashid of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had got 52,000 votes.

PPP sources said the party now wanted to reunite its voters.

“There are good chances of a one-to-one contest between the PPP candidate and PTI’s Dr Yasmin Rashid as the ruling party has failed to run a proper election campaign. Begum Kalsoom Nawaz, the ruling party candidate from the constituency, left the country for London. Nawaz Sharif himself is travelling abroad on Thursday,” sources said.

“The ruling party had strong voter support in the constituency. However, the situation changed after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif. People have changed their minds. That is why no candidate of Nawaz league is ready to face the voters in NA-120,” sources said.

Published in Daily Times, August 21^1st 2017.