Asif Zardari says 8-10 days delay in polls won’t make any difference

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chaimran Asif Ali Zardari on Monday asserted that a ‘delay of 8 to 10 days’ in the conduct of general elections, scheduled for Feb 8, 2024, will not make any difference, ARY News reported.

Speaking to a private news channel, the former president stressed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has the constitutional authority to hold the general elections earlier or later than its scheduled date.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has been strongly vocal about in-time elections, while demanding level playing field during the polls.

However, the ECP had rejected “baseless and misleading” reports about a delay in the upcoming general elections, which surfaced from representatives of major political parties.

“If the polls are delayed by eight to 10 days, but not more than that, there will be no difference,” he said, adding: “The elections have to take place, be it tomorrow or the day after.”

Asif Zardari claimed that PPP would not oppose the idea of a small delay in polls. “ECP had all the powers regarding the elections,” he said, adding that the electoral watchdog could bring forward or delay the election date.

The PPP co-Chairman noted that elections were not held in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) before. “Now the weather there is not good and a war is also taking place,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Asif Ali Zardari also hinted at joining the race for the coveted slot of prime minister. “I can be a candidate for premiership and Bilawal Bhutto too. Even Khursheed Shah can be the candidate,” he added.

However, he did not unveil the name of PPP’s candidate for the top slot, saying that time will tell who will be the candidate.

In response to a question, Zardari claimed he made PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif the prime minister, adding that he arranged the required numbers to get him elected as the chief executive of the country.

Responding to another question, Zardari said he handed over the powers to parliament and closed doors for the presidential system forever. “The presidential system can never be imposed in Pakistan,” he added.

“If someone imposes a martial law and becomes president, even he will not have the authority”, Zardari clarified.

During the interview, Asif Zardari also castigated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremo Imran Khan and said the latter had ruined the country.

Moreover, Zardari accused former prime minister of registering illegal Afghans living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as citizens of Pakistan by issuing them ID cards.

“That’s the reason he talks about the Afghans so much. He has made fake lists in KP where Afghans have been declared as Pakistan citizens,” he added.

The former president claimed that Imran Khan was brought into power via a “conspiracy”, adding that the conspiracy was hatched by his friends and a “mindset”.

“He [Imran Khan] would have sold Pakistan and the country would have defaulted if I had not ousted the person,” he added.

To another question, the PPP co-Chairman said that every government would have to introduce a 10-year economic formula to put the country on the right track.