President Zardari hits back at opponents

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   ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari lashed out on Monday at opponents he alleged were carrying out a ‘vilification campaign’ and declared that the Pakistan People’s Party would continue its ‘forward march’.
   
   ‘No matter what our opponents said and no matter how much the party leadership was subjected to a campaign of vilification, the party will not be deterred and will continue its forward march in the service of the people,’ the president was quoted by his spokesman Farhatullah Babar as saying at a meeting of the party’s central executive committee held to review the political situation amid criticism by political opponents and a section of the media.
   
   Without naming anyone, Mr Zardari said: ‘Some people write our obituaries almost daily but the more they write our obituaries the more they are disappointed and frustrated. I salute the party, its workers and the people. We have stood together in the past and will stand together in the future as well.’
   
   The meeting, which continued till past midnight, discussed a number of issues, including the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance that has also been opposed by coalition partners -- Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F.
   
   The PPP had first decided to present the NRO in parliament but had to reverse the decision when the coalition partners refused to support it.
   
   Sources in the PPP said the meeting mainly focussed on NRO, the law introduced by former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf providing immunity to ruling elite, politicians and bureaucrats.
   
   The fate of the NRO is still hanging in the balance and there is a possibility that corruption cases that had been dumped under the NRO may be reopened.
   
   During a meeting held earlier in the day, President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani were reported to have discussed important political and organisational matters.
   
   The CEC meeting held after three and a half months was put off twice apparently because of the fast changing political scenario in the country.
   
   According to the spokesman, the president was of the opinion that the PPP was a ‘huge political force’ and was fully prepared to face all challenges confronting it politically.
   
   The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Gilani, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Badar, Mian Raza Rabbani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Faryal Talpur, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Naveed Qamar, Babar Awan, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Shahbaz Bhatti, Rehman Malik, Sardar Latif Khosa, Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali, Yousaf Talpur, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Farahnaz Ispahani, Mir Ejaz Jhakrani and Farzana Raja.
   
   Mr Babar said the president was of the view that the PPP had formed the government with coalition partners at the centre and in all provinces.
   
   It had thrown out dictatorship, restored presidency to democratic forces and embarked upon a course of political and economic reforms and reconstruction.
   
   The president said: ‘The PPP was not given political victories by anyone as charity, but had triumphed politically with the help of the people of all provinces.’
   
   He said the vilification campaign against the party was aimed at weakening it politically and warned that those hoping to weaken ‘us politically are living in a fool’s paradise’.
   
   He said the party had a long history of rendering great sacrifices for the sake of democracy and people’s rights and was not afraid of rendering sacrifices if need
   arose.
   
   President Zardari said the results of elections in Gilgit-Baltistan had convincingly demonstrated yet again that the people stood by the PPP and rejected the vilification campaign against it.
   
   A number of participants spoke on the occasion and gave their own assessment of the political situation.
   
   The meeting also adopted a unanimous resolution reposing complete confidence in the leadership of the party co-chairman and President Zardari and the government, the spokesman said.
   
   Some administrative matters of the party were also discussed. Some PPP leaders complained that they had no access to the party co-chairman.
   
   This complaint had also been conveyed to the president during a recent meeting of party leaders, including some women parliamentarians.

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