LHC verdict: nationwide protest on Zardari's return, says Badar

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) General Secretary Jehangir Badar has said that national level protest against LHC decision will be taken on return of President Asif Ali Zardari. He was speaking at a press conference held at Lahore Press Club on Saturday afternoon. The provincial Lahore district leadership, besides MPAs, representatives from lawyers and labour wings were also present on the occasion.
Badar said: "PPP is world's biggest party in the world with remarkable political struggle for democracy in Pakistan through sacrifices and the LHC verdict has disappointed the PPP workers at large". He glorified the struggle of PPP for democracy in Pakistan and said that the PPP has been damaged by such verdicts in the past as well despite the fact that it has never attacked the Supreme Court.
He said the PPP workers have a strong feeling that they are most affected people. According to him, the country's President, in any political system of the world, is a member of a political party or enjoys support of a political party. Therefore, they (presidents) can not be kept aloof from political activities, he added. He said the office of President is not a non-political office but still President Asif Ali Zardari has never hatched political programmes in the Presidency. However, implementation of the verdict means that he would not meet anyone in presidency from now onwards, he said.
The PPP General Secretary said the party workers have already been complaining that why President meets them in Presidency. "But we know the security compulsions of President Zardari. Therefore, we never forced him to come out and hold public meetings". He said President's legal team will respond accordingly but politically it seems that LHC has no right to amend the Constitution. He added that the court of law has never barred Isikandar Mirza, General Zia, former President Rafiq Tarar or President Pervez Musharraf from any such activities.
"It is a planned move against party workers of the PPP," he deplored. He said the PPP has promoted politics of reconciliation and consensus but a verdict in the absence of President from the country is hurting the party workers. He said the PPP would deliberate the point on return of party co-chairman that why PPP leadership is always targeted. He vowed, in the same breath, that party workers would not let anyone subjugate their rights and consolidate efforts for democracy. When asked whether he was committing contempt of court, Badar said he was presenting political point of view. "I haven't said that we do not accept the decision," he added.