Zardari said he had become the president of Pakistan with the support of people and he would move forward on the basis of their strength       Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari speaking to a public gathering in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on April 14, 2024. — Facebook/Pakistan Peoples Party - PPP

GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH/ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari Sunday said Pakistan is not a poor country but the lack of wisdom and insight in ‘baboos’ sitting in Islamabad has made it poor.

Addressing a public meeting on the 45th death anniversary of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto here, he reiterated his determination to take the country to the height of prosperity and development, saying Pakistan was rich in natural resources and it was not its destiny to stay poor always.

Addressing all the political parties of the country, he emphasized that if the purpose of coming to power was to serve the people, then they should not fight among themselves and play their role in achieving that goal. He said it was a matter of satisfaction for him that he had fulfilled the responsibility that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had given to him.

PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari recalled that after the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto, many people did not believe that he would be able to run the party. He pointed out that Benazir Bhutto had written in her political will that he was a seasoned politician and he had served 14 years in jail and he would take care of the party interests.

Zardari said he had become the president of Pakistan with the support of people and he would move forward on the basis of their strength. He emphasised that every step in politics should be taken carefully so that it did not harm the country or people.

He said that due to fights between politicians, people suffer, adding that in the past, some people had harmed the country and consequently the nation was still suffering.

Later, addressing the public meeting, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari termed judicial reforms an agenda of the Charter of Democracy (CoD), which was yet to be completed.

He said his party would consult all stakeholders, including civil society, for the purpose. Bilawal said during the previous presidency of Asif Ali Zardari, 90 per cent implementation of CoD was done and the remaining 10pc comprised judicial reforms, which were yet to be carried out.

The PPP chairman Zulfikar Bhutto gave the country a Constitution, gave people the power to vote, made farmers owners of their lands, empowered workers and made Pakistan a nuclear power. He said today the PPP had two chief ministers in two provinces, and Senate chairman also belonged to the party. He said Asif Ali Zardari also made history by being elected as the president of Pakistan for the second time.

He said there were some forces in the country that did not believe in democracy and they were continuing conspiracies against the PPP.

Referring to an opposition movement launched in 1977 by the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA), comprising nine political parties against the then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal claimed that there were some politicians today who wanted to bring the PNA part-2. He regretted that some politicians wanted to play with the country’s future for their vested interests and their so-called ego.

He advised politicians to sit on a negotiating table instead of resorting to ‘dharnas’, which would be harmful for the country.