Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday said that Asif Ali Zardari sought the PML-N’s help to strengthen his position in his own party after 2008 elections.

Asif was speaking at a TV program where he said that Zardari had reached out to him and to PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif asking them to help him. He further added that Zardari said all PPP members had come together and he did not have a single vote amongst them.

Thus, he feared that the PPP leaders would send him back abroad within a few days.

Khawaja said that Zardari twice asked Nawaz for help, once in a personal meeting and the second time when Khawaja and Nawaz visited Garhi Khuda Bakhsh to offer condolences over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

In response, Nawaz told Zardari to visit Islamabad and discuss the matter.

The Former minister also said that he did not want to share further details since the atmosphere had already become far too tense, and he did not wish to aggravate the present situation.

“But I want it on record that I should not have helped Asif Zardari. He does not deserve to be benefitted,” He stated.

The former minister then stated that Nawaz and Zardari later had a one on one meeting in Bhurban.

Asif stated, “We had two demands: holding Musharraf accountable and the restoration of the judiciary,” adding that Zardari told them that he was ready to deliver on both demands.

He quoted Zardari, “you only save me from individuals that have Bibi’s [Benazir Bhutto’s] political heritage”.

Khawaja further said that the PPP’s late leader Amin Faheem shamed him for that and told him that he would regret this later. He further stated, “And I am regretting it. I am narrating my repentance before you.”