Karachi: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is all set to welcome Asif Ali Zardari, the former president of Pakistan and co-chairman of the party, who is arriving here on Friday afternoon, after more than a year and a half in self-imposed exile.
The PPP has been mobilising its workers to rally at the Karachi international airport’s old terminal where Zardari is expected to land in the afternoon from the Gulf.
“Our workers will rally from the Star Gate to the Old Terminal, where the co-chairman would address them to express his gratitude,” Surinder Valasai, a spokesman of Bilawal House, the Zardari residence and secretariat, told Gulf News.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP chairman and son of Zardari, had already flown to the Gulf country overnight to oversee his father’s departure from there.
He was also expected back along with Zardari, but the programme of his return was not confirmed as yet, Valasai said.
Zardari left the country after he criticised the military establishment over their alleged corruption and meddling with the political set-up in the country.
His anger came amid the Paramilitary Rangers’ crackdown on PPP ministers, and the party’s allied bureaucrats, over alleged large scale financial corruption.
Several ministers of the party and the officials had to flee from the country to avoid their arrests over corruption and other charges.
Zardari also left the country beforeformer minister and confidant, Dr Asim Hussain, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) along with other suspects for allegedly embezzling hundreds of billions of rupees from government coffers, and helping terrorists to access medical treatment.
The former president’s homecoming coincided with a change of the military hierarchy in the country as former general Raheel Sharif has retired and General Bilal Akbar, the Sindh Rangers chief, who launched and supervised the anti-corruption crackdowns, has been promoted and posted somewhere else.
General Naveed Mukhtar, the commander of the 5th corps in Karachi, who was also a part of the action plan against outlaws, has been made the chief of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s prime spy agency.
Scheduling Zardari’s arrival after the change in the military set-up, stirred speculation in the country that his arrival was a result of a deal with the present military chiefs.
However, Rahman Malek, the former minister and a close aide of Zardari, dispelled the impression claiming that no deal was struck for Zardari’s return.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been on a three-day official visit to Bosnia, addressing Pakistani media, expressed his pleasure over Zardari’s decision to return home.
The prime minister said he enjoyed good relationships with Zardari and looked forward to maintain such cordial relation with him as he comes home.
