Islamabad: Top leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party have reposed "full confidence" in the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari in the wake of a revolt by former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Hours after Qureshi quit the PPP and launched a scathing attack on Zardari, the party's top leadership came together for a meeting at the presidency late last night that was
chaired by the President.
An official statement said the meeting reposed "full confidence in the leadership of party co-chairman Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani" and expressed satisfaction
at the PPP's policy of reconciliation.
While announcing his resignation from membership of both parliament and the PPP, Qureshi blamed Zardari for failing to tackle the country's problems.
He accused Zardari of abandoning the values and politics espoused by slain former party chief and premier Benazir Bhutto.
Qureshi called on members of the national and provincial assemblies to resign and demand fresh elections. In an apparent response to the issues raised by Qureshi,Zardari directed the PPP leaders during last night's meeting to mobilise the party and revamp its organisational structure.
He directed parliamentarians to visit their constituencies, particularly those in flood-affected areas, and to address the issues of the people.
Zardari directed the leaders to implement the party's manifesto and to take all measures to "provide relief to the common citizens".
The meeting also advised the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministries to expedite the finalization of the National Accountability Bureau law, which is aimed at tackling
graft.
The meeting at the presidency was attended by Prime Minister Gilani, federal ministers Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Rehman Malik, Khursheed Shah, Makhdoom Shahabuddin and Naveed Qamar, and top PPP leaders like Raza Rabbani, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
Zardari and Gilani also held a separate meeting to discuss the current political situation.
Qureshi had been estranged from the PPP since he was not reallocated the foreign affairs portfolio during a cabinet reshuffle in February.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said that Qureshi is set to join his party during a rally to be held in Sindh on November 27.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 14:06