KARACHI — Quashing speculation about early general elections, President Asif Ali Zardari has advised leaders of opposition political parties to wait for eight more months for the next general elections.“I will request my impassioned opposition friends to wait for eight more months for the general elections. The present government is under no threat and it will complete its tenure that ends in March 2013”, the president said while addressing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ministers and senior party leaders at Bilawal House here on Friday.
During the meeting, the concerns of the coalition partners and the issue of Lyari were discussed and the president made it clear that the incumbent government would set a new precedent by holding free and fair elections in the country and advised Sindh PPP leaders to continue the policy of reconciliation.
Zardari, who is Co-chairman of the ruling PPP, urged the party leaders to resolve all issues and complaints of the coalition partners the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and the Awami National Party (ANP). “The PPP will jointly contest the next general elections and form again a coalition government. For this we have to redress their concerns without delay.”
All the three coalition partners the MQM, the PML-F and the ANP had voiced deep concerns over the law and order situation in Karachi and have been openly criticising the policies of the Sindh government.
Unhappy with the present resentment of the people of Lyari, the president directed the leaders to tackle the issues on priority basis. “Lyari is PPP’s fortress and we cannot lose it at any cost,” Zardari told the meeting.