Zardari warns against disaster, if polls rigged
By Saad Saud

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Peoples Party Co Chairman Senator Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday welcomed the IRI polls survey and termed it as a great victory for the PPP and vindication of its position that only massive rigging can stop it from sweeping the elections.The latest IRI survey just a week before the elections said that General (retired) Musharraf’s popularity has hit an all-time low and the PPP is poised for a landslide victory that could bring to an end all machinations of the undemocratic forces to cling to power.
Fifty eight percent of those surveyed said they would vote for the PPP, with the rest divided between other parties. The PML –N was poised to get 22 percent of the vote according to the survey giving an eighty percent majority to the two main opposition parties. In a statement on Tuesday Senator Asif Ali Zardari warned the regime to read the writing on the wall and desist from rigging the polls on the Election Day. More than 55 percent of the people said that they will “go to the streets” if the elections were rigged. “The survey should open the eyes of every one that stealing the polls and manipulate people’s will on February 18 will have disastrous consequences for the Federation”, the PPP Co-Chairman warned.
Senator Asif Zardari said that the poll results showed that the people of Pakistan groaning under lawlessness, unemployment and inflation had rejected the status quo, suspension of the Constitution, imposition of emergency, the sacking of judges and the fraudulent re-election as President. “Above all the people have rejected the military’s strident inroads in the nation’s politics, economy and civilian jobs”. The polls results showed that the people of Pakistan favored the forces of change, he said.
PPP Co Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said his party believes in strong federation adding no conspiracy to weaken federation or to dismember the country will be allowed to succeed. PPP co chairman said this while addressing a press conference here Tuesday in Bilawal House. The whole country is echoing with one voice the present system is not acceptable, he held. “We want the very democratic order for which Quaid-e-Awam and Shaheed-e-Jamhoriat rendered the sacrifice of their lives. This is need of hour the rulers should perceive this voice and the paper lions should leave our way, he underlined. Time has proved these paper lions have given nothing to the country but have caused harm to Pakistan. Their non existence makes no difference but their existence will be more dangerous , he observed.
“I have come from Sindh to Punjab with “paigham-e-Jamhooriat of Benazir Bhutto and Tahaffaz-e-Pakistan. I will hold my first public meeting in Faisalabad”, he announced. PPP workers should work to make this message come true on February, 18 so that the coming generations suffer no humiliation, he stressed. Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said that PPP wants change in system with an aim to bring into mainstream all political parties and groups from all parts of the country to promote national unity.