News
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Punjab governor resigns after PPP’s defeat in polls* Former PM Gilani also resigns as SVP of party
LAHORE: Following the defeat of the PPP in Punjab, provincial Governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood who had been appointed by President Asif Ali Zardari has announced that he would step down.
“Today (Monday) I have forwarded my resignation to President Asif Ali Zardari. I hope it will be accepted soon,” he said. “Ups and downs are part of politics. I will distance myself from the parliamentary politics in the future.” Mehmood said, adding that he was not an elected governor. He said that he is quitting as the Punjab governor on moral grounds. “It is the right of coming government to nominate its candidate,” he added. Mehmood said transition of power must be smooth and as per constitution. He further said that he was also going to quit parliamentary politics, but vowed to serve the nation.
Addressing the media, Mehmood sounded confidant and answered different hard questions regarding the allegations of rigging in the elections and the PPP’s defeat, accepting the results. He announced that after resigning from the governorship, he would stay away from the parliamentary politics in future. To a query about his performance as the governor, he said that he was an intellectually honest person and was fully satisfied with his performance. He also said that in his opinion this was the right time for him to resign when the PPP was defeated in elections, adding that though he would continue serving the country in his personal capacity.
When Mehmood was asked about the fairness of the recent elections, he said that elections always took place like this in Pakistan and we should accept the fact that the public has chosen the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PPP hopes that Nawaz Sharif would administer the country effectively. Separately, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani resigned from the post of senior vice president of the PPP over shocking defeat of the party in general elections.
Addressing an urgently called press conference at the Multan Press Club on Monday, he said that he would continue working as an ordinary worker of the PPP and emphasised that his resignation is not due to any differences with the party. He said that the bad performance of the party and appalling election results have nothing to do with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “These factors should not affect Bilawal’s political future,” Gilani observed. kashif hussain/agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk