ZARDARI : PPP will win big in Punjab

The Express Tribune

President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday reaffirmed the government’s resolve to conduct elections on time, adding that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would record a resounding victory in Punjab. He said this while discussing several issues, including the present political situation, with Law Minister Farooq H Naek at Bilawal House, Lahore. The president also discussed the removal of governor’s rule in Balochistan, the Swiss authorities response to the government’s letter and other important cases before the Supreme Court, including Minhajul Quran International chief Tahirul Qadri’s petition for dissolving the election commission. Naek congratulated President Zardari on the Swiss authorities’ decision against reinstating graft cases against him and maintained that this endorsed the ruling party’s stance in this regard. He termed it a victory for PPP. They also discussed the proposed candidates for the caretaker prime minister. The law minister also briefed the president about his meetings with the leaders of the coalition partners. He informed him about efforts to end governor’s rule in Balochistan. Interior Minister Rehman Malik also called on President Zardari on Sunday, informing him on the overall law and order situation in the country. Punjab Governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood and PPP’s Punjab chapter president Manzoor Wattoo held meetings with the president as well, discussing a range of issues. Later, President Zardari and his son, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, attended a dinner arranged by the party’s Lahore chapter president, federal minister Samina Khalid Ghurki at her residence. Speaking at the dinner, Bilawal too reiterated the party’s resolve to not let anyone disrupt the elections. He claimed the present government had achieved more with a simple majority than most others did with the ‘heavy mandate’ of a two-thirds majority. Bilawal added that the Constitution had been purified of the ‘nonsense’ of dictators as well. At dinner, the proposal of fielding Khalid Ghurki’s son Sufyan from Lahore was considered. Party officials also briefed Bilawal on the political and organizational situation in Lahore. Meanwhile, Samina Ghurki assured that PPP would win at least six seats for the National Assembly from Lahore. The PPP chairman is scheduled to meet party representatives and parliamentarians for Faisalabad today. According to Sana News, Bilawal has decided that as PPP chairman, he will handle all party issues himself and keep President Zardari away from them.