Zardari advises Nawaz to quit if SC rules against him

KARACHI: Former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari has suggested Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down if the Supreme Court rules against him in the Panama case.

In an exclusive talk with Express News, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari said, “Premier Nawaz has never been in the habit of accepting things which go against him, [But] if there is agitation, it won’t be good for democracy.”

He gave the example of his own party in somewhat similar circumstances. “We did not resist when the court disqualified [then premier] Yousaf Raza Gilani. We chose another prime minister,” he said.

“Nawaz should do the same. The PML-N has many MNAs. Nawaz should step down and choose one of them as his replacement,” the PPP leader added.

The PPP leader also criticized Nawaz Sharif for not attending parliament’s sessions. “Sharif is running parliament like an emperor. He rarely visits any houses of parliament,” he said, adding that a prime minister who did not attend parliament sessions weakened democracy.