Zardari ready to 'move on' from Aitzaz-Nisar row
Former president says PML-N approa*ched him after the 2008 electi*ons with an offer to take 'turns' ruling the country
By Irfan Ghauri
Published: September 5, 2014
Former president Asif Ali Zardari. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: Speaking to reporters about the recent acrimony between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari said that the he and the party are ready to ‘move on’ from the incident.
“We will take it [the confrontation] as a part of democracy and move on,” Zardari told reporters.
“People have their opinions, and certain things were said that shouldn’t be … Aitzaz was justified.”
Zardari was speaking at his residence in Islamabad, where he had recently arrived to “save democracy”, he said.
The spat, which began after Nisar accused Ahsan of being part of a ‘land mafia’ in an angry press conference on Thursday night, continued in Parliament on Friday morning after Ahsan replied angrily to the accusations.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had repeated his apology on behalf of Nisar to both Ahsan and Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah – who also spoke – on the floor in a short speech.
In his statements, Zardari was also careful to distance himself from Nawaz’s government stating that he has not “extended any favour – not before, not now,” to the prime minister, but is actually acting upon the “political ideology of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and late Benazir Bhutto”.
In fact, the former president claimed that Nawaz approached him with an offer to take turns ruling the country after the 2008 elections, which PPP won “After 2008 elections, PML-N leadership asked me to take my turn and let them take the next turn,” he said.
“We took along every one. Mian sb said to me this is your turn. We will take the next turn. I said no. You take Punjab,” Zardari remarked.
Former president says PML-N approa*ched him after the 2008 electi*ons with an offer to take 'turns' ruling the country
By Irfan Ghauri
Published: September 5, 2014
Former president Asif Ali Zardari. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: Speaking to reporters about the recent acrimony between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari said that the he and the party are ready to ‘move on’ from the incident.
“We will take it [the confrontation] as a part of democracy and move on,” Zardari told reporters.
“People have their opinions, and certain things were said that shouldn’t be … Aitzaz was justified.”
Zardari was speaking at his residence in Islamabad, where he had recently arrived to “save democracy”, he said.
The spat, which began after Nisar accused Ahsan of being part of a ‘land mafia’ in an angry press conference on Thursday night, continued in Parliament on Friday morning after Ahsan replied angrily to the accusations.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had repeated his apology on behalf of Nisar to both Ahsan and Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah – who also spoke – on the floor in a short speech.
In his statements, Zardari was also careful to distance himself from Nawaz’s government stating that he has not “extended any favour – not before, not now,” to the prime minister, but is actually acting upon the “political ideology of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and late Benazir Bhutto”.
In fact, the former president claimed that Nawaz approached him with an offer to take turns ruling the country after the 2008 elections, which PPP won “After 2008 elections, PML-N leadership asked me to take my turn and let them take the next turn,” he said.
“We took along every one. Mian sb said to me this is your turn. We will take the next turn. I said no. You take Punjab,” Zardari remarked.
