Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Barrister Ali Zafar has said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been left with just one option to end the political turmoil in the country: step down voluntarily and announce that he will not take the PM’s Office until and unless he is cleared of all charged levelled against him following the Panama leaks.

Now, the country is burning, while the federal and Punjab governments have put the federation at risk just for the lust of power. All the parties have fixed their eyes on the Supreme Court, as its five-member larger bench is going to commence the hearing of Panama leaks case from today (Tuesday).

The government has practically locked down the federal capital as well as most parts of Punjab. Even the transportation system has come to a halt following the closure of different roads, especially the motorways.

There is an unlimited number of containers and huge piles of mud put by the government on different roads, highways and the motorways.

PTI lawyer Babar Awan, while talking to Daily Times, said that the country was passing through a critical juncture and present the situation was extremely crucial.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has jeopardised the federation of Pakistan just to please Modi,” he claimed.

He said that on the orders of such a prime minister – who could not even dare to take the name of RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav – the roads had been closed for the people of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, endangering the integrity of the country.

He said that after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nawaz Sharif was the biggest “security threat” to Pakistan. “Earlier, Nawaz sowed the seeds of misunderstanding among the provinces and got the anti-Pakistan speeches delivered in parliament through his allies. Now he is trying to save his rule by blocking the communication means, which were constructed using the national exchequer.”

He said that the motorways and highways were not constructed from the personal wealth of the Sharif family. “These are national assets made from national resources, and people from all the four provinces have full rights to utilise them.”

The senior lawyer said that the ‘Sharif Shahi’ in Punjab had crossed all limits, but despite that the Sharif family would not be able to save itself from accountability in the Panama and news leaks.

“If we get the copy of the high court’s decision, we will definitely challenge it in the Supreme Court on Tuesday (today) and we hope justice will prevail,” he added.

Barrister Ali Zafar said that the government had shown negligence over the Panama leaks issue, which gave birth to this chaotic situation.

He said that now the government had limited its options, and was left with only one choice, that is: PM Nawaz Sharif resigns willingly and appoints someone from his party on his slot. “If the apex court gives him a clean chit in the mater, he may return. This is the only way to put things back on track. Otherwise the situation will further deteriorate.”