Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari said that there was great potential for Pakistan and India to further strengthen their socio-economic ties. In an interview with India Today's Managing Director Raj Chengappa, he said he saw great potential to develop their bilateral relationship, particularly in the economic sector.
"We are a small country compared to India, but we are a larger supporter of it. India can be a super economic power if we do things together," he added. During the interview, Zardari also spoke about the issues, to be tackled by the new government. About the judiciary, he said his party would prefer open debate in the parliament for restoration of the deposed judges.
"We need to make the judiciary independent-financially too. Then we need to lay down the parameters of what the judiciary's function are," he added. Yo a question, if Nawaz Sharif insists on his main agenda of restoration of judiciary, Asif Zardari said he thought that his agenda would coincide with PPP's agenda.
He said that for too long in our history the country had suffered because of judicial decisions. "So, we have to be very careful and therefore, I feel there should be an open debate in the parliament".
Explaining his party approach towards the coalition government, the PPP Co-Chairman said that he had been calling for a national consensus government. "The nation is in a disarray, there is no governance and institutions have been weakened," he added.
To a question of inclusion of PML-Q in a coalition government, he replied that PML-Q had never been a political party. "It is a collection of individuals. People have exposed them, so there is no question of an alliance with them", he added.
Replying a question regarding working with President Musharraf, he said: "I will be working with the Parliament. It is the sovereign governing body of the country".
He said that in a constitutional democracy the president had a limited role and his party would work for the supremacy of the parliament. When asked to comment on impeachment of the President, he said that let the parliament decide about this issue. "We are getting carried away by slogans rather than going to the crux of the matter." The belief was to strengthen democracy, he added.
He said that people had voted for democratic forces, against the fundamentalist forces and the previous government. Replying to another question he said that let the parliament decide about President Pervez Musharraf.