News Desk|
Former President Asif Ali Zardari said that the Government of Pakistan would have given a stronger diplomatic response had he been in power right now.
آپ تومائیگریشن کرکے آئے،آپ نے تو پاکستان نہیں بنایا،آپ تو بھاگ کر آئے تھے،آصف زرداری
— Geo News Urdu (@geonews_urdu) August 7, 2019
He was speaking at the joint session of Parliament held to discuss the recent developments in Kashmir, including the revocation of Article 370 which could possibly lead to a demographic change in the disputed region.
Read more: Imran Khan: BJP has proved it does not want Muslims in India
“I would have immediately gone to the UAE, then to China, then to Russia and then to Iran on the way back”, Zardari said.
However, while criticizing Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks about whether the opposition wanted him to attack India, emotions seem to get the better of former president Zardari.
In a strange remark, Zardari suggested that migrants or Muhajirs had nothing to do with the creation of Pakistan.
(Remarks begin at the 6 minute mark in the video below)
بھارت بھی جانتا ہے کہ پاکستان میں ٹیلر میڈ جمہوریت چل رہی ہے۔ وہ آپکے معاشی حالات سے بھی واقف ہے۔
ہمیں شہید ذوالفقار علی بھٹو سے سیکھنا ہے جیسے انہوں نے بھارت سے نہ صرف 90 ہزارجنگی قیدی رہا کروائے بلکہ ہزاروں میل مربہ زمین بھی واہ گزار کروائی۔@AAliZardari
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/Uid2eSkavT— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) August 7, 2019
It started with a jibe by Zardari at PM Khan, saying that it was Khan and not he (Zardari) who kept roaming around in Bombay.
“I come from Sindh. Sindh and Bangladesh created Pakistan. It was not you who created Pakistan, you were a migrant,” Zardari said.
However, it do not stop here.
“You were made to flee from there and you came to seek refuge here”, Zardari continued.
It is known that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s father Ikramullah Niazi was born in Mianwali. However, his mother Shaukat Khanum was born in Jalandhar and migrated to Pakistan after partition.
Read more: Zardari about to lose his fortune?
But Zardari seemed to have realized the extent of his remarks, and he tried to rectify his mistake.
“You (Muhajirs) are most welcome here, Pakistan was created to accommodate all muslims”.
Former president Zardari also said that the external world was well aware of Pakistan’s place on the international stage.
“Don’t they know the state of our economy, everyone knows”, he said.
He also said that former PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had defied expectations and made a diplomatic masterstroke by getting back land and prisoners of war from India after the 1971 war.
A production order was issued to let Zardari attend the session, who is NAB custody in a fake accounts case.