Daily Times

PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of becoming a part of the anti-government alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a private TV channel reported. Speaking to media persons after getting a pre-arrest bail in the New York Property case, the former president said he doesn’t know for sure but the chances of the PPP becoming a part of the PDM are rather slim. Speaking about PDM’s long march on Pakistan Day, which will be led by JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Zardari said that the PDM chief has marched in the past as well – which did not bring down the government. Responding to a question regarding in-house change reports on media and giving a tough time to the PTI-led government a tough time, he said that “everything will be fine”. The former president said that since the very first day, he was against this “incompetent government”. “They are unable to govern state affairs,” he maintained. “The poor condition of the nation is clearly stating that the incumbent government is unable to take any step for the betterment of people, and now it has been proved by history too,” he said. The comments by the former president came a day after a meeting between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and the PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was held in Islamabad. During the meeting, both parties agreed to launch anti-government protests to send the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) packing.

The meeting was organised after PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif agreed to an in-house change.

On the other hand, an important decision has been taken by the PPP leadership ahead of the anti-PTI government long march that is scheduled in February. PPP has decided to include “like-minded opposition parties” in its long march, scheduled to start on February 27, and a committee has been formed to devise a strategy regarding that. In a statement, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that “we have all the cards on the table against the government”. “We all have to start struggling together against the incumbent government and all will have to reach Islamabad,” he said.