Shujaat-led Grand Opposition Alliance announced in Lahore

• PML delegation to visit Mansoora to formally invite JI to join alliance on Panama

The Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Sunni Ittehad Council and Majlis Wahdatul Musalmeen on Sunday approved formation of a Grand Opposition Alliance on Panama Papers issue under former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

After a day-long meeting, held here at the residence of the PML leader, a six point joint declaration has been issued in which the expected lawyers’ movement would be fully supported and it has also been demanded that performance of the joint investigation team (JIT) be made public every fortnight.

In the light of the true spirit of the Panama verdict, the prime minister has become an accused, the joint declaration said, demanding that Nawaz Sharif should immediately resign to meet the requirements of the justice. They also demanded immediate release of a report of High Court judge Justice Baqar Najfi on Model Town tragedy.

Approving formation of the grand alliance on Panama issue, the alliance formed a Coordination Committee comprising Tariq Bashir Cheema, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Allama Nasir Abbas to establish contacts with other opposition parties. They supported announcement of launching of a movement by the lawyers.

The meeting was attended among others by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, SM Zafar, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Ch Zaheeruddin, Muhammad Basharat Raja, Dr Khalid Ranjha, Dr Azeemuddin Lakhvi, Mian Munir, Sheikh Umar Hayat, Shadab Jaffery, Dr Basharat Jaspal, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Allama Nasir Abbas and Asad Abbas Naqvi.

Earlier, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and former deputy prime minister Parvez Elahi warmly welcomed the Jamaat-e-Islami delegation including Senator Sirajul Haq, Dr Fareed Piracha, Mian Maqsood Ahmad, Dr Waseem Akhtar, Asghar Gujjar and Qaiser Sharif, upon their arrival at the residence of the PML leaders for a meeting.

Talking to the journalists after the meeting, Shujaat, Senator Haq and Parvez Elahi said that out of five-member Supreme Court bench, none had declared the prime minister as Sadiq and Ameen so he (Nawaz) should resign prior to appearance before the investigation team.

They said that the Chief Justice of Pakistan should ensure transparency of the investigation team and its performance should be made public fortnightly. During the meeting, it was decided to form a committee comprising two senior lawyers of each party to monitor working of JIT on daily basis.

A PML delegation headed by Ch Shujaat Hussain will visit Mansoora on Monday (today) to formally invite the Jamaat-e-Islami to join the grand opposition alliance on Panama issue. Expressing gratitude to Senator Sirajul Haq and others, Shujaat said that all opposition parties should forget about their differences.

On the occasion, Parvez Elahi said that there was no difference over agenda of the alliance, all parties were unanimous against corruption and were in favour of forming the alliance. To a question, he said that the rulers always keep dhol and sweets with them.

Appreciating the role of Parvez Elahi, Tariq Cheema and Kamil Ali Agha on formulating joint TORs of the opposition over Panama case, Sirajul Haq said that he was thankful to the senior most politician Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

He said that joint team of lawyers of the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Muslim League would be announced shortly. He said that the JIT was constituted always against terrorists and this was the first time that the Supreme Court has directed the prime minister to appear before an investigation team.