News
Sunday, March 13, 2011
PPP believes in peace, not confrontation, says Zardari
* President says MQM is a political reality and PPP will take it along
* Expresses feelings of cordiality towards PML-Q
By Masroor Afzal Pasha
KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) does not believe in confrontation, said President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday.
Addressing members of Sindh Assembly, Zardari, who is also the party’s co-chairman, said the very philosophy of PPP was peace. “Aggression is the admission of defeat of the mental state,” he said, adding “We will not go into the state of aggression.”
Zardari said the PPP-led government was strengthening the country and empowering its people. “We are working according to the dictates of political wisdom and are taking the country in the right direction,” he added.
“The PPP will always remain in a political mode,” he said, adding, “We are a political force and have to remain in a political mode.”
He said that he had convened the meeting to discuss the country’s immediate issues and the challenges faced by the federation and the province.
He informed MPAs that he had sent a written advice to the prime minister for the reappointment of Justice (r) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah to the office of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman.
He said there were some who wanted to take away the political space of PPP. “This move is against the 18th Amendment and has been prompted by the Senate elections scheduled to be held in March,” he added.
The president said that PPP had given rights to the provinces under the National Finance Commission (NFC). “This is because we want consensus and federation to remain intact,” he added.
Zardari said the government was moving ahead in line with the vision and philosophy of its slain leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) and Benazir Bhutto (BB).
He said that people were sovereign and they spoke through parliament. “We all are the sons of ZAB,” he said, adding, “The one deviating from the platform of the party is not from us and his fate will be the same as that of others who treaded the same path.”
He said that five parties emerged out of the PPP, but none of them became successful.
He said that PPP considered Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) a political reality and wanted to take it along. “We give respect to every institution and believe in strengthening it,” he added.
The president said the government had also initiated dialogue with the PML-Q. “PML-Q extended their hand of friendship towards us and we reciprocated. In politics no door is closed,” he concluded.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk