Khawaja Asif, the former foreign and defence minister of Pakistan, has said that he does not trust Asif Ali Zardari, Co-chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and former President. “I still have reservations against this gentleman [Zardari],” the former foreign minister disclosed on Express News talk show ‘To The Point With Mansoor Ali Khan’.
میں بار بار کہوں گا کہ مجھے آصف علی زرداری پر یقین نہیں ہے، خواجہ آصف pic.twitter.com/XJtWLgJOcZ
— Mansoor Ali Khan (@_Mansoor_Ali) September 30, 2020
The PML-N leader said that he still had qualms about trusting Zardari and his opinion of the former president had not changed. “It is difficult for me to believe him [Zardari] even today,” he added. “I will say this again and again, I don’t believe him.”
Nawaz Sharif, ousted prime minister and supremo of PML-N, reiterated his trust on PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari after Khawaja Asif attacked the former president. “I have a lot of respect for Asif Zardari in my heart. Zardari is part of Pakistan’s Democratic Movement (PDM) and I absolutely respect him in my heart and I don’t know if Khawaja Asif made a statement against Mr Zardari or not,” Nawaz told reporters in London.
Read more: LHC Grants Nawaz Sharif Bail, but he still isn’t free
When told that Khawaja Asif had actually said that he doesn’t trust Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif said that Khawaja Asif’s remarks about the former president were not PMLN’s party policy. “I have expressed to you the sentiments I have in my heart (for Asif Ali Zardari).”
When told that Khawaja Asif had actually said that he doesn’t trust Asif Ali Zardari, @NawazSharifMNS said that the remarks about the former president were not PMLN’s party policy. “I have expressed to you the sentiments I have in my heart for Zardari).”https://t.co/3iULD9dNjF
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) October 1, 2020
Zardari is corrupt, says Khawaja Saad Rafique
Earlier, Khawaja Saad Rafique, senior leader of PML-N and former Federal Minister for Railways, alleged Asif Ali Zardari of corruption and money laundering. Rafique in the video can be seen accusing Mr. Zardari of corruption. “Where did all the sugar mills get established from? Your greed has no limits; even after the corruption of billions. There is nothing in Sindh you can do without bribery,” Mr. Rafique asserted.
Badalta hey Rangg Aasmaa’n kaisay kaisay…. pic.twitter.com/5F5XwoDbjA
— Maria Memon (@Maria_Memon) December 21, 2018
Opposition gets united against PTI’s government
On September 20, PPP called an All Parties Conference (APC) and decided to run an anti-government campaign to topple PM Imran Khan’s government. Through a 26-point resolution and a seven-point action plan issued after the APC, the opposition put forward its demands, including free, fair, transparent elections without having any role of the armed forces and agencies.
Nawaz Sharif also addressed the participants of the APC, and slammed the establishment for its role in political engineering. “It is saddening that the situation has escalated to the level where we now have a state above the state,” said Sharif via a video link from London. “Either we have martial laws in the country or a strong parallel government is created whenever we have a civilian government. Our foremost priority is to get rid of this non-representative, incapable, and selected government,” he said.
Read more: Is Nawaz Sharif likely to leave for London?
Political analysts and experts are now deliberating over an intriguing question; can the opposition topple PM Khan’s government? Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst who served as a senior official during the 2018 polls, said during a talk-show on Dunya TV that “the movement will likely involve more rhetoric than action”. Dr. Rizvi was of the view that the opposition parties won’t be able to stay united as many of them have “competing and contradictory interests”.