Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari Thursday ruled out any support or ‘relief’ for the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Addressing a joint press conference along with PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari, PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira and other office bearers here at the Bilawal House, Bilawal said, “PML-N should not be under any confusion… we are not going to support them or provide any favour [in the wake of Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification].”

Bilawal said that PPP was a progressive political force and that it would continue its ideological struggle and politics in the country.

To a query about by-polls in NA-120, Bilawal said they had started election campaign and would achieve better results this time. He confirmed that he was going to hold rallies and public meetings in several Punjab cities in upcoming days.

Former president Asif Zardari said that disqualified prime minister’s style during the last four years was not political and democratic. “We never supported Nawaz Sharif in the past but the parliament and democracy. But, at present democratic system in the country was not under any threat,” he said.

Clarifying his earlier statement about not having any relations with Nawaz, Zardari said that the two had maintained contact when he was in the United States and Nawaz was in exile, but they have not been in touch since then.

He also dismissed forming an alliance with any political party, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, with elections around the corner.

Published in Daily Times, August 18^th 2017.