Asif Ali Zardari calls for national unity to fight coronavirus threat

KARACHI: Former president and Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has underlined the need of national unity to fight coronavirus threat, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

“Coming days will be more critical for the country”, Asif Ali Zardari said while talking to PPP Punjab leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, who telephoned him to inquire after his health.

The former president regretted that government is busy in fighting with the opposition instead of COVID-19. “The incumbent federal government has ruined the national consensus”, the ailing former president alleged.

He said the PPP came into power in 2008, when the country was passing through very tough time and added that Swat operation was initiated after building the national consensus.

Asif Ali Zardari said 18th amendment was passed with an aim to give financial rights to the provinces and make the federation more stronger.

The PPP stalwart alleged that the incumbent government wants to take back financial liberty of the provinces.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had stated in clear terms that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led federal government doesn’t want to completely roll back the 18th Amendment.

Speaking in the Senate, he had said the government doesn’t aim to do away with the constitutional amendment but its “weak points should be reviewed and addressed.”

“We don’t have a two-thirds majority to bring any change, why are you afraid,” the foreign minister had said, pointing to opposition senators.