The thinking of “Maulvi” Nawaz Sharif is being defeated, said President Asif Ali Zardari while addressing a public meeting here on Tuesday to mark Benazir Bhutto’s birth anniversary.
He asked who is Maulvi Nawaz Sharif to hate generals and love soldiers? He said this is the thinking of a blacksmith. “Learn from me, meet me in private or make me your teacher,” Zardari advised Nawaz. About Nawaz, the president further said, “he is pitting us against the military, but we will not fight. Today he is criticising the Army.”
The president said there is no difference between the thinking of Nawaz and Mulla Umar. He further said as many as 35,000 “of my children” were martyred, but he is saying that it was not “our war”. He said if change took place he would again flee while “I will be left to be martyred.”
Zardari said Maulvi Nawaz is practising the politics of Zia. His thinking led to Benazir’s murder and now he was conducting a trial of Benazir’s grave. He said the British and Indian media do not show power breakdowns in their countries. Negative propaganda must be stopped, he said.
He said the time is not far off when intellectuals would replace actors on TV channels. He said the mindset of which Nawaz Sharif was a proponent was the real threat to the country. He said that Maulvi Nawaz Sharif wanted, to no avail, to pit the PPP against the Army, adding that no country could survive without its army.
He said that Nawaz was pained at the fact that, contrary to the mindset of his mentor (the late Gen Ziaul Haq), soldiers were laying down their lives and mothers losing their sons to terrorism in garrison mosques in fighting against the mindset which has killed thousands of our people, including Shaheed Benazir Bhutto
The president said that whenever he said that he knew who killed Benazir, he always meant that it was a mindset that targeted the PPP chairperson. The president called upon the country’s political forces to play their due role in strengthening Pakistan’s institutions and refrain from inciting a clash of institutions.
“There is no single country in the world which survived or achieved progress after its institutions, including its army, were PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif for speaking against the institutions and said the jawans and officers of army were rendering sacrifices and giving their lives for the country and nation.
“He (Nawaz) wants the politics of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq,” he remarked and added that the mindset which took the life of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto is being defeated.” The President said some political actors were also disturbed over the government’s policy of reconciliation as “we allied with MQM, PML-Q and others” to strengthen democracy.
He said Nawaz’s was an approach of a blacksmith who lacked foresight. He said the blacksmith approach could not think of pre-empting rice of wheat shortage but he (Zardari) foresaw the global economic crisis and ordered Sindh to do the needful in advance to buy the grain in advance.
He said Nawaz had forgotten that they (the PPP) presented them the Punjab reign in return for nothing.
He said that he was kept in jail by Nawaz and Pervez Musharraf but he did not budge. On the contrary, Zardari said, Nawaz could not tolerate jail because he was scared of mosquitoes, adding that Nawaz would again flee the country and only we (PPP) would be there for sacrifices. Had Nawaz felt for the masses, he would not have gone into exile, Zardari added.
He went on to say that today Nawaz vainly wanted the PPP to clash with institutions, advising the later to learn something from them (PPP) if he had no other teacher.
He said Nawaz moved court against NRO to in vengeance, but they (PPP) never acted that way. On the contrary, we (PPP) compelled courts to re-open Bhutto case, and the PPP worker would never pick up weapon, he would rather lay down his life instead of fighting with institutions, he added.
He said he had forgiven Nawaz for implicating him in cases. He said Nawaz was worried about Senate elections and that’s why he was bursting out these days. The president said some political actors were also disturbed over the government’s policy of reconciliation as “we allied with MQM, PML-Q and others” to strengthen democracy.
President Zardari referring to the fight against militancy said it is our war as it has taken the lives of our 35,000 people including the personnel of armed forces. The President said the PPP-led government would strengthen all the national institutions including army and won’t let the democracy get hurt.
He said, “Our political opponents were afraid of our popularity and the expected majority in the Senate”. The President recalled that the PPP leadership was offered by former President Pervez Musharraf to form its own governments at the Center and four provinces, adding, “but we refused and joined hands with the PML-N to share power in the Centre and Punjab.”
He regretted that those who were used to getting two-third majority and the governments easily in the past are speaking against the army. The President said the PPP even without securing majority in the elections managed to form the government through its reconciliatory politics and friendly attitude towards other political forces.
“I was elected President with a majority vote,” he said and added the PPP-led government restored the 1973 Constitution through 18th and 19th Constitutional Amendments. President Zardari said he was neither afraid of political actors nor cares for headlines, adding, “but some political leaders give statements for tomorrow’s headlines.”
“Think about the country and tomorrow’s generation. Do not think of your Mills and farms,” the president remarked with reference to the PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif. President Zardari said the PPP leaders always worked for the country and the nation, adding, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave this country the nuclear programme, while Shaheed Benazir Bhutto gave the missile technology.
He said after the 1971 debacle Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave this nation a new spirit of living and strengthened the institutions, adding, “We are the followers of such a great leader.” The president paid rich tribute to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and said she and her father had sacrificed their lives for the country and nation.
The president congratulated the people of Sindh for generously donating blood on the birth anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and said, “The blood donated today in Sindh is in such a quantity that it can be used by other provinces as well.” President Zardari said the donated blood is used for the people and personnel, who are fighting against militancy.
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