The Supreme Court’s decision against the prime minister in the contempt case sent ripples in the political circles of the country as antagonistic views and reactions were observed from the ruling parties in Gujranwala and Peshawar. PPP’s Students Federation and Youth Organisation held a protest rally in Peshawar. Chanting slogans such as ‘we reject’, they said, “Prime Minister Gilani proved that ‘jiyaalaz’ are not afraid of the judiciary and dictators.” PSF Peshawar Division President Saad Waqas and People’s Youth Organisation (PYO) Peshawar district President Jehangir Khan, General Secretary Misbahuddin and city president Isa Khan led the demonstrators.
They started their agitation from cantonment area towards the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and disturbed traffic on Sher Shah Soori Road. They torched tyres outside the PHC. “We don’t accept the decision of the unjust judiciary against the PPP prime minister,” the leaders said. The workers of the PPP said the verdict was a conspiracy to derail democracy. Meanwhile, in Gujranwala PPP workers organised rallies in various areas as an expression of their trust over their leadership while the PML-N workers as well as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers demanded the resignation of the prime minister due his conviction in crime. PPP workers organized a rally on GT road in which the political workers declared the courts decision biased. Former MPA Asadullah Papa said, “We fully trust our leadership who stood fast in front of the every obstacle and even faced the biased decision of the courts.” He said the game played by a dictator was now even pursued by the judges. He said the PPP will go into appeal against the courts decision. Another rally was organized outside PPP’s City Secretariat to express trust in their leadership. PPP City President Tariq Ali Mehar told Pakistan Today that the people were depressed over the conviction of the prime minister. He said the PPP had always faced the biased attitude but still PPP has respected the courts and had never attacked the courts like the PML-N did and how they maneuvered the institutions to get their way to the govern the country through back doors. Khurram Dastagir Khan of the PML-N told Pakistan Today that he did not accept the corrupt and convicted politicians as the heads of the state. He added that now the government allies should decide that they want to stand along with convicts.
