The Pakistan Peoples Party on Tuesday categorically dismissed speculations regarding possible removal of President Asif Ali Zardari from the office and said that the federal government would not be able to function without his party’s support.
“The government cannot function without the support of the PPP. There is no truth to the speculations against President Zardari,” said Bukhari.
The clarification comes amidst reports suggesting President Zardari’s removal from office and that another constitutional amendment was in the offing.
The said rumours began circulating after the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) obtained a simple majority in the National Assembly after the reinstatement of reserved seats by the Election Commission of Pakistan following the top court’s Constitutional Bench verdict.
It also handed the ruling alliance a two-thirds majority in the lower house, as its strength rose from 218 to 235 members.
Expanding on President Zardari’s rumoured removal, Bukhari said that those behind such speculations had no understanding of the Constitution and law.
The PPP secretary general further clarified that the party was not joining the federal cabinet.
The PPP leader’s rebuttal echoes the statement made by the PML-N’s Senator Irfan Siddiqui who has firmly denied reports suggesting any proposal to replace the president.
“No such suggestion is under consideration at any level,” Senator Siddiqui said while speaking on a private television channel.
Stressing that President Zardari was playing his constitutional role effectively as the head of state, the senior politician criticised certain media narratives.
Commenting on the coalition setup, Siddiqui said the PPP remains an ally of the PML-N-led government.
“Being in government together does not imply agreement on every issue,” he noted.
Before Bukhari and Senator Siddiqui’s rebuttal, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had also rejected reports claiming possible removal of President Zardari from office, terming them as mere social media speculations which the public should not heed to.
“Some people are bothered as, for the first time, politicians, government, and military establishment are on the same page. Those elements are spreading misleading narratives,” Naqvi had said during his visit to Sindh’s Rohri city on the eve of Ashura.
