PPP to fight ‘plots’ against mandate

Sunday, 20 Dec, 2009

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party resolved on Saturday to fight back against forces trying to undermine its authority or right to govern the country, but consciously decided not to enter into any confrontation with the judiciary and agreed to contest corruption cases against its co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and other senior members, which stood revived after the Supreme Court verdict declaring the NRO as unconstitutional.

Although the mood of some of the members during a meeting of PPP’s central executive committee at the President’s House was visibly defiant, and a couple of them accused other centres of power of trying to undermine the elected government, better sense prevailed after a number of senior leaders advised against politics of confrontation.

President Asif Zardari, who chaired the meeting, was harsh in his criticism of the forces which, according to him, had never accepted democracy or the people’s verdict in favour of the PPP.

But he avoided any direct criticism of the Supreme Court or its anti-NRO verdict, or even the army and main opposition parties.

Four resolutions were passed in the meeting. Through one resolution, the PPP called for reopening of the Mehran Bank scandal and similar scams.

Other resolutions sought action against those who had got their loans written off and recovery of “money embezzled in the name of privatisation”.

The consensus was that none of the ministers facing corruption charges after the revival of pre-NRO cases would resign and instead fight back by contesting the charges in courts.

The demand made by some members that the NRO-tainted ministers should resign was rejected by the PPP co-chairman: “The PPP will not be blackmailed into asking its ministers to resign merely on the basis of accusation against them. There is no reason why any one should resign until proved guilty of wrongdoing,” Mr Zardari said at the end of the seven-hour-long meeting.

The meeting was convened to discuss the fallout of the Supreme Court verdict on the National Reconciliation Ordinance.

According to an official announcement, President Zardari said the PPP would use democracy and constitutionalism as its weapons to fight “adversaries and foil all conspiracies”.

Farhatullah Babar, the president’s spokesman, said the CEC had not only reposed full confidence in President Zardari’s leadership but also vowed to “rally around him at a time when he is the target of criticism and political attacks from all around and to put up a fierce fight in his defence”.

Mr Zardari said the party had survived even the “judicial murder” of its founder chairman and the country’s first prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, recalling that a judge had even admitted in interviews that Mr Bhutto was wronged.

He said the party had also survived the assassination of its chairperson Benazir Bhutto two years ago.

“We have faced many challenges in the past and are ready to face even more challenges in the future, but we will not abandon the fight nor run away from the field.”

The president said he foresaw many more conspiracies and onslaughts against the PPP, but no conspiracy would succeed.

Without naming, he said: “Individuals in some institutions may have wronged the PPP, but we will not harm the institution to avenge wrongdoings by any of its member.”

Sources told Dawn that PPP stalwart and a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, who attended the CEC meeting for the first time since restoration of judges in March, advised the party leadership to avoid confrontation with the judiciary because this could prove detrimental for the government as well as the party.

He was of the view that the resignation of Interior Minister Rehman Malik would help relieve pressure on the government and the party. His suggestion was, however, rejected by President Zardari.

According to the sources, former information minister Sherry Rehman and Senator Raza Rabbani suggested that the entire cabinet be dissolved and replaced with a new, small cabinet.

‘QUIT GOVT’: Mr Rabbani, the sources added, even suggested that due to the prevailing security situation, the PPP should sit on the opposition benches.

“You either continue to bleed” with the existing system or change it, Mr Rabbani was quoted to have said.

Ms Rehman was also of the view that the “status quo” was hurting the party and that they should go for cabinet dissolution.

Federal Labour Minister Syed Khurshid Shah made a very emotional speech.

The crux of his outburst was that the party and Mr Zardari were being targeted because they belonged to Sindh.

However, a number of leaders like Mr Rabbani, Ms Rehman, Dr Safdar Abbasi and Aitzaz Ahsan warned the party against any plan to use the “Sindh card”.

They said the PPP was a party of the federation and they should not be playing into the hands of nationalists by using the Sindh card.

Dr Abbasi criticised the government’s decision of not supporting the NRO before the Supreme Court and termed it a “big mistake”.

He was of the opinion that had the government defended the law in the court, as its ministers had been doing for the past many months, the SC might not have declared the whole NRO as unconstitutional.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar called for ‘fixing’ the bureaucracy and lauded the prime minister for suspending the interior secretary and other immigration officials who brought ‘embarrassment’ for him when he was not allowed to proceed to China on an official visit.