Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Monday alleged former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan did not support the expulsion of undocumented Afghans because he had gotten them included in voter lists illegally.
“He [Khan] supports Afghans because he had made fake [voters] lists in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and they had been declared as Pakistani citizens,” he claimed during an interview with anchor Asma Shirazi on Aaj TV. To a question, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was already examining the issue, adding his party had already raised the issue with the electoral body.
Continuing his criticism of Khan, the former president accused the former prime minister of allegedly supporting the establishment of offices for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Pakistan to get political advantage, adding this would make Pakistan a terrorist state. He also rubbished the prevailing view of Khan’s popularity, maintaining this did not reflect ground realities.
“Only foreign vloggers are saying this … they are paid by [Khan’s ex-wife] Jemima Khan,” he alleged. “There is sympathy [for Khan] as far as he is in jail, and not popularity,” he claimed, adding the PTI primarily enjoys the support of some lawyers but lacked enough workers to even manage polling stations during the elections.
Reiterating that Khan was a “project” of former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Hameed Gul, he said he recalled when he was given money by the agency to bolster his politics. Describing the former PTI chief as an “illiterate” person who ran the government as a “cult,” he stressed he did not even understand how to work in parliamentary politics. Referring to the vote of no-confidence that saw the ouster of Khan as prime minister, he claimed the PTI had approached him through a mutual acquaintance and offered important government positions in its remaining tenure for its withdrawal. “I refused this, saying it was too late,” he said. This was seemingly confirmed last year in a leaked audio call allegedly between Zardari and Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz.
“He [Khan] would have sold Pakistan and the country would have defaulted if I had not ousted him … Sometimes a puppet does not know what its handler is doing to it,” he said. To a question on whether the PPP would consider an alliance with the PTI, he said he was a “political scientist” and had to examine the situation in that context. “You believe what polls are saying; perception is more important than facts. But no, actual facts are more important. We have 400 polling stations in Nawabshah, then how can the PTI cover all polling stations?” he questioned. He also claimed Latif Khosa, formerly a member of the PPP’s core committee and currently a lawyer for Khan, was no longer part of the party.
Zardari also lashed out at the leniency Khan is granted in prison, noting the ex-PTI chief had access to an exercise machine, homecooked food and satellite TV. “I didn’t even get a fan,” he said, adding he had also been subject to jail trials but there had been no social media at the time to apprise the public.
General elections
To a query on the upcoming general elections, scheduled for Feb. 8, 2024, the former president indicated there might be a “little delay,” adding this was not a concern. “It makes no difference if the elections are delayed for another eight to 10 days, but not more than that,” he said, adding it was the ECP’s constitutional authority to determine this.
Referring to a statement of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressing concerns about severe weather conditions impacting the conduct of polls in some parts of the country in February, Zardari said that besides this, some regions also had security issues.
PPP’s prime minister
To a question, Zardari said he was also a candidate for the office of the prime minister alongside his son, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. “Bilawal can be a candidate and I can be a candidate too … and even Khurshid Shah presents himself as one of the contenders,” he said, claiming the PPP would win “significant” number of seats in the upcoming National Assembly and play a decisive role in the election of the prime minister. However, he added, this was a decision for after the polls.
“In Karachi, we are the largest party. We have won the election of the mayor which is not a small thing,” he noted. He reiterated that he had arranged the votes to make PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif the prime minister of the PDM government.
To another question, the PPP leader said he had closed the doors for a presidential system forever. “The presidential system can never be imposed in Pakistan,” he said. Zardari also addressed the prevailing economic crisis, saying whoever forms the next government would have to introduce a 10-year economic formula to put the country on the right track. He reiterated his call for a charter of economy between all political forces to achieve this.