Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has termed the rally of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif illegal and unconstitutional.

Talking to Daily Times after addressing a press conference at the party’s provincial secretariat on Wednesday, PPP central Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Nawaz Sharif’s act of leading a rally after his disqualification by the apex court could be challenged under the existing laws of the country. He said that references could also be filed against government employees facilitating the “unconstitutional rally”.

Earlier, addressing the press conference, Kaira said that a person, who had been disqualified from the premiership, could not lead any rally and use public resources for his protocol and gathering.

He stated that Nawaz Sharif, being a former prime minister, could only enjoy limited security and not public resources for his gathering as he was not more eligible to hold any public or political office in the country.

The PPP leader likened the ousted premier’s act to an attack on the Supreme Court. The ruling party was trying to discredit judiciary and the Pakistan Army to save the skin of the Sharif family in the Panama Papers saga and the references to be filed in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against them. Kaira asked Nawaz Sharif to reveal the name of those who he (Nawaz) said were hatching conspiracy against him.

He said it was wrong to equate disqualification of Nawaz Sharif with the disqualification or dethroning of previous premiers, saying: “Nawaz Sharif was disqualified on the charges of dishonesty and corruption, while the previous premiers were ousted from power on unconstitutional grounds.”

Commenting on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road rally of the ousted premier, he said that there were less than 1,000 vehicles and 5,000 people in the rally, mostly patwaris, teachers, lower cadre government staff and local government administrations. He also said that the expenditures being incurred on the Nawaz Sharif rally would be adjusted from the funds of the local government development projects.

Referring to a statement of Nawaz Sharif’s in which he had said that the Charter of Democracy could be implemented again, the PPP provincial head said that the party could join the dialogue with the PML-N but not with the ousted prime minister.

He also warned Imran Khan that his party workers and leaders had faced accountability server times in the past so they need not fear.

Kaira also urged authorities concerned to make public the Justice Baqir Najfi report on the Model Town incident. PPP leaders Aslam Gill and Malik Usman were also present on the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, August 10^th 2017.