Elections will take place when I decide.”Asif Zardari

Military expenditures not that significant: Zardari
Sindh politicians join PPP

Karachi_Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday dispelled the notion that Pakistan spends a significant amount on military expenditures, saying that such claims were mere propaganda.
“The military’s expenditures are not that significant… undue propaganda is done over it,” he said while addressing the electoral candidates from Central Punjab at Bilawal House, Lahore.
The former president said that there is a solution for everything in politics. “Those who are not skilled in politics don’t have solutions; that is why they don’t allow things to happen.”
Urging the workers to be patient in tough times, Zardari said that soon it will bear fruit that will alleviate all the sorrows and pains. “They cannot make election happen in two months… elections will take place when I decide.”
“The PPP and I have always struggled. The workers should be patient because the fruit of patience is something you cannot even imagine. All sorrows and pains will fade away.”
He mentioned that during his 14 years in prison, he studied numerous books on the economy. “I proposed solutions during my era, which led to our foreign exchange reserves reaching $24 billion. Insha Allah, I will manage the country’s economy and raise the foreign exchange reserves to $100 billion.”
As the country braces for election later in the year, the former president has been active in Pakistan’s largest province by population which often decide which party will form the government at the Centre.
After the PTI lost its status as the largest party in the province, several of its leaders parted ways with it and joined PPP — which at one point in time was considered a force to be reckoned with in Punjab.
On Thursday, Zardari held meetings with political leaders at the Bilawal House in Lahore. He met PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari, Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi, and party candidate from NA-69 Rana Mahmood Ashraf.
Zardari also met with PPP Central Punjab President Rana Farooq Saeed, Faisal Mir, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Abdul Qadir Shaheen and other party leaders.
In these meetings, the situation of Punjab in the upcoming elections was discussed.
Zardari was informed by the party leaders about those who had recently joined the PPP.
The former president of the country assigned the task to the party leaders of bringing forward strong candidates in Southern Central Punjab.
Several political leaders from South Punjab have also announced joining the PPP in a meeting with Zardari and party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Meanwhile,
Politicians from Sindh met ex-president Asif Ali Zardari and announced joining the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The newcomers are former MPA Dr Sikandar Shoro, Sardar Kanbu Khan Brahmani, Arab Khan Brahmani and Muhammad Sadiq Shoro.
President Asif Ali Zardari welcomed them. PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari and MPA Jam Khan Shoro were also present.
The PPP co-chairman has been in Lahore for a few days. Several politicians joined the party during a meeting with him.
Politicians from Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Bahanagar, Mianwali, Okara, and Khanewal joined the PPP.
They include Rasool Bakhsh Jatoi, Qutb Fareed Karija, Sardar Shamsher Mazari, Syed Qaim Ali, Sardar Allah Bakhsh Leghari, Peer Jafar Muzamal Shah, Mian Alamdar Qureshi, Abdul Ghafoor Arain, Yasir Atta Qureshi, Raees Akmal, Fareeha Batul, Abdul Aziz, Jafar Muzamil Shah, Muhammad Alamdar, Abbas Qureshi, Malik Abdul Ghaffar, Yasir Atta Qureshi, Syed Jameel Shah, Syed Rashid Shah, Sheikh Dilshad Ahmed, Syed Bilal Mustafa, Syed Tahsin Nawaz, Ali Haider Watto, Mian Salman Ayub, Mian Ameer Haider, Ayaz Khan, Amjad Khan Niazi and Umar Masood Farooqui.