Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has said that the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case will mark an end to former dictator General Zia’s legacy.

Commenting over the judgement of the apex court in the Panamagate case on Friday, PPP central secretary information Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad, provincial information secretary Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, deputy secretary information Abid Sadiqui and party’s Lahore chapter president Azizur Rehman Chann said that Nawaz Sharif had not only supported the military rulers in the past but also continued General Zia’s legacy by adopting dictatorial attitude despite coming to power through public mandate.

They said that the PPP was victimised both by dictators and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). They said that a new history had been created in the case.

Manzoor said that the PPP leadership, especially former president Asif Ali Zardari, had time and again suggested Nawaz Sharif to tender his resignation but he did not listen to their suggestions and stuck to his guns.

Khokhar said that his party had a firm belief in democracy and wanted continuity of the democratic system. “It would be better for Sharifs that they nominate next prime minister from their party for the sake of democratic system if they believe in it,” he said.

Meanwhile, a rally was organised by the Khalid Butt of the PPP in front of the Lahore Press Club soon after the verdict of the apex court in which jubilant party workers distributed sweet and danced to the drum beat.

Abid Sadiqui said that there were only two options before the Supreme Court against Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Case either to repeat the history or write a new history and it adopted the second option which would bring about positive changes in the country.

PPP Lahore president Azizur Rehman Chann celebrated the verdict of the apex court against Nawaz Sharif by distributing sweets among party workers.

Published in Daily Times, July 29^th , 2017.