ISLAMABAD: Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said he did not think that PPP would ever become the part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) again.

Speaking to the media outside National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court in Islamabad where he had gone in connection with the hearing of New York property reference, Zardari said it was his desire from day one that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was sent home.

The co-chairman stated that he had told from day one about this government’s inability to handle national matters. “Time has proven my stance that the elected people are all ineligible,” he added.

He further said the government was a bunch of ‘incompetent’ people who could not steer the country out of the present crisis.

The former president further said the people were suffering from different issues and the government is incapable of doing anything.

When a reporter asked him whether he foresaw an in-house change, the former president replied, “Keep your fingers crossed; InshaAllah, everything will be alright.”

During the court proceedings, an interesting situation developed when a cellphone suddenly started ringing in the courtroom.

And since the ringtone was that of a child crying, the judge had to stop the hearing temporarily and could not help commenting that it seemed as if somebody’s child was crying.

The entire courtroom burst into laughter over Judge Muhammad Bashir’s these comments.

Meanwhile, pronouncing the verdict it had reserved in the morning, an Accountability Court (AC) on Tuesday accepted the bail application of former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in New York property reference.

Hence, the court rejected the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea to deny bail to Zardari.

The court, in its order, further said that from now onwards, the NAB would have to seek its permission before arresting the former president while inquiry in the case was underway.

During the hearing, Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H Naek appealed the court to approve permanent bail of his client.

He appealed to the court to approve the permanent bail of his client. “We will ask the NAB what this ‘so far’ means,” the court remarked.

Responding to the counsel, NAB prosecutor told that they have not issued arrest warrant of the former president yet, therefore, the petition should be turned down. Subsequently, the court reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had, on December 14, 2021, discarded the NAB’s reference filed against former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, declaring it ultra vires while at the same time directing the bureau to make a new reference.

Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq gave these orders while hearing a petition filed by Zardari, seeking his acquittal in the NAB’s reference against his property in New York, USA.

While hearing the petition, CJ Minallah declared that the NAB’s reference against Zardari was not according to the law. He chided the bureau that all its references got busted because they were not prepared as per the law.

The court tasked the anti-graft watchdog to make a new reference while excluding the income tax matter from it till Jan 18.