By Web Desk
Published: April 5, 2012
Zardari says Lahore is PPP's city and that the Sharif brothers are living as 'migrants' there. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
LAHORE: A day after the lukewarm welcome by the Punjab government, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday that the “shine that the Sharif brothers have” was given by him and that he can “take it away any time.”
While openly criticising Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif at the Governor House in Lahore, he said that Lahore is Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) city and that the Sharif brothers are living as “migrants” there.
He also said that they did not have enough people to “even offer funeral prayers” of their father and had taken him to Data Darbar because of the number of people present at the shrine.
Earlier on Wednesday, when President Zardari arrived in Lahore no officials of the Punjab government arrived at the airport to greet him.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that it was a “lowly act” done by the president.
Speaking to Express News he said, “If Zardari terms the Sharif brothers as migrants, then he is surely unaware of the results of the past four elections.”
“It seems like he [Zardari] has gone mad. He can foresee that he is going to face awful consequences, which is why he is making such statements.”
“I cannot even believe that such shameful remarks were given by the president.”
Reacting to President Zardari’s statement,
Nawaz’s daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif tweeted saying: “Guys do see Zardari’s statements now on TV channels. Wish he had kept this side of him hidden !! (sic)”Poker face?: Nawaz unruffled
By Our Correspondent
Published: April 7, 2012
“I am not commenting on the ‘taking away shine’ [comment by the president],” says PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: Express
PESHAWAR:
In retaliation to the president’s continued tirades against him, Nawaz Sharif played it cool on Friday – and refused to take the bait.
The chief of the principal opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), seemed to take the moral high road in his brief interaction with the media in Peshawar, saying: “I am not commenting on the ‘taking away shine’ [comment by the president]”. About being called a ‘refugee’ by the president, he said that such statements will further polarise nation and should be avoided.
The most surprising statement by President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday, regarding the number of people present for the funeral of Nawaz’s father, was met by an equally surprising response by the PML-N chief.
He recalled that, when the president’s father was ill in London, he had gone to enquire about his health – and added that he still prays for his salvation.
Nawaz did say that the incumbent government’s performance was ‘below zero’.
Another party of the opposition, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam–Fazal (JUI-F), however, was more vocal in its response.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the president had politically lowered himself by issuing derogatory statements regarding the funeral of Sharif’s father.
He advised the PML-N not to respond to the remarks, and said that it now appeared that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s politics was not that of reconciliation.
Punjab law minister
While Nawaz remained silent, the PML-N’s other senior leaders responded in kind to the president. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the statements of President Zardari are a proof of his ‘mental bankruptcy’. He added that one can hardly believe that the head of a state can use such words in a speech. He said that President Zardari owes his ‘shine’ to the looted wealth.
In a statement, Rana Sanaullah said that President Zardari can visit Punjab to his heart’s content but the people of this province will show him his true level of popularity here.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2012.
Unprecedented aggression: President launches verbal assault against Sharifs
By Mohammed Rizwan
Published: April 6, 2012
Zardari says Lahore is PPP's city and that the Sharif brothers are living as 'migrants' there. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
LAHORE: It is unclear what triggered it, but the president unleashed an uncharacteristic verbal barrage against his principal rivals, the Sharifs, on Thursday.
A day after a snub by the Punjab government, which had refused to provide a small customary reception upon his arrival in Lahore, President Asif Ali Zardari had some choice words for the Sharifs.
Addressing a meeting at the Governor House in Lahore on Thursday, he said that the “shine that the Sharif brothers were glowing in” was given by him and he could “take it away anytime.”
While openly criticising Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, President Zardari said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was a party limited to central Punjab and would be wiped out from the region in the next elections.
“The days of PML-N in Punjab are over,” he said. The president added that Lahore is PPP’s city and that the Sharif brothers are living as “migrants” there.
President Zardari also went as far as to claim that they did not have enough people to “even offer funeral prayers” of their father and had taken him to Data Darbar because of the number of people present at the shrine.
Both the PML-N chief and the Punjab chief minister chose to stay away when President Zardari arrived in the city on Wednesday, while no Punjab government minister or official was present at the airport either to receive the president – as is customary.
The move is reminiscent of the PPP-PML-N confrontation in the 90s when Nawaz would choose to stay away from Lahore whenever then prime minister Benazir Bhutto would visit the city.
Speaking to Express News, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah criticised the president for his remarks, saying, “I cannot even believe that such shameful remarks were given by the president.”
“It seems like he (Zardari) has gone mad. He can foresee that he is going to face awful consequences, which is why he is making such statements.”
Reacting to President Zardari’s statement, Nawaz’s daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif tweeted saying: “Guys, do see Zardari’s statements now on TV channels. Wish he had kept this side of him hidden.”
Meanwhile, President Zardari also claimed that acute load shedding in the country would be over before the elections. “We are working on a plan to get rid of load shedding and the situation will improve in coming days,” he said.
The president also asked the Punjab party office-bearers to get ready for the next elections and vowed that the PPP would sweep the next polls.
He said that he was aware of the hardships faced by the people due to inflation and power outages and he assured that the situation would soon get better.
The president later received a large delegation of the Peoples Lawyers Forum at the Governor’s House and hosted a dinner for them. He asked the lawyers to support the party in the upcoming general elections and show the world that Punjab was the bastion of the PPP. (ADDITIONAL INPUT BY NEWS DESK)
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2012.
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