News
Monday, June 03, 2013
Zardari will not run again* President believes he has no right to participate in next presidential election
* Nawaz will have to approach all political parties if wanted to be consensus PM
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari has ruled out seeking another presidential term after his present five-year tenure expires in September, saying he believed he had no right to participate in the next presidential election
President Zardari on Sunday said the credit of strong democracy and smooth transition of power following the May 11 election went to all the political forces who ensured that democracy remained the main driving force of the country. In an interview with a panel of journalists, the president said not only Nawaz Sharif but other political parties also supported the PPP for the sake of democracy and made the transition a success.
Zardari said that if the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) asked him to lead the party, he would do so, or else he would work as a party worker. Zardari termed the democratic transition of power a landmark achievement in the history of the country, adding that if the PPP gave him a leadership role he would work for its re-organisation, otherwise would only work for party as an ordinary worker.
The president said the PPP would play the role of a constructive opposition in the next government and would not be an opposition for the sake of opposition. To a question, Zardari said that if Nawaz Sharif wanted to be elected as the consensus prime minister of the country like Yousaf Raza Gilani was elected in 2008, then he (Nawaz) himself would have to approach all the political parties.
To a question regarding Nawaz’s dialogue offer with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the president said if this government wanted to talk with these forces then there was a need to identify whether or not Taliban had a political mindset, as extremists generally do not negotiate. Regarding NRO and Swiss cases against him, President Zardari said that the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and Swiss cases were the charges for what he had been sent to jail for eight years. He said that, in his opinion, these cases were controversial and carried no substance.
Speaking on Balochistan issue, the president said that the previous government undertook many development projects for Balochistan. Regarding the drone attacks, the president said that the PPP-led government had not signed any agreement with the US government over drone attacks. Responding to a question about the future of Musharraf, President Zardari said it was up to the prime minister-designate Nawaz Sharif to decide what action he planned to take, after he assumed his office.
Asked if he would pardon the former president, he said if such a request was made to him by his family, he would take an appropriate decision. To a question he said shooting down a drone aircraft was not an issue, and the real issue was the repercussions of such an action. Regarding the law and order situation in Karachi, the president said non-state actors were active in the port city and disturbing law and order there. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk