SADQABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari issued a strong warning to his political opponents on Sunday, stating that anyone attempting to harm the country would have to face severe resistance. “Those who break Pakistan will have to pass through our dead bodies,” he declared while addressing workers in Nawazabad, Sadiqabad.
In a wide-ranging and impassioned speech, the President announced a major development initiative for the region. He revealed that a university would be established in the area with the support of the Sindh government. “The Sindh government will build a university in the slums of Punjab. The president gives permission for the university; I want it to be a medical university,” Zardari said, adding that he would consult with the Chief Minister of Sindh and “Mian Sahib” (PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif) for funds. He emphasized respect for the Siraiki community, recalling that Yousaf Raza Gillani was made Prime Minister and Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood was appointed Governor.
Taking sharp aim at the incarcerated founder of PTI, Imran Khan, the President mocked his complaints about prison conditions. “The leader imprisoned in jail is now looking for excuses. The prison would ask after two years, it has been one and a half years now. Spend the prison like men, why are you crying like women?” He contrasted this with the resilience of his late wife, Benazir Bhutto. “Bibi spent the prison at the age of 24; she was imprisoned in Sukkur jail for five years.”
Zardari also shared personal anecdotes about Benazir Bhutto’s courage. He recalled that despite his warnings against it, she was determined to return to Pakistan after her first attack. “Bibi was destined to be martyred. I did not think that would happen. When she sat in the car, I forbade her, saying there was no need to go, but she was the daughter of the fearless Bhutto.”
He concluded with a defiant message about the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) stance. Referring to past military operations, he said, “We planted the flag in Swat… we will not let Pakistan break.” In a veiled reference to his political rivals’ origins, he added, “You came from India, our elders have had graves for seven hundred years. First Pakistan is ours, then yours.”
