LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah is likely to visit the custodian of Sial Sharif shrine Pir Hameedud Din Sialvi in order to seek pardon from the spiritual leader over his alleged controversial remarks about the Ahmadis, and to defuse the crisis of resignations of over a dozen lawmakers from both the Punjab and the National assemblies, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to details, over a dozen lawmakers belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have tendered their resignations to Sailvi of Aastana Aaliya Sial Sharif over the issue of the Khatm-e-Nabuwat (finality of the prophet hood) soon after the government launched an operation against the protesters of Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYR), who were staging a sit-in in the federal capital since the last 20 days.
The PML-N members who met Sialvi and submitted their resignations included, Sheikh Muhammad Akram from Jhang (NA-89), Ghulam Muhamad Lali from Jhang (NA-87), Chaudhry Hamid Hameed from Sargodha (NA-66), Ghulam Bibi Bharwana from Jhang (NA-88), Dr Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti from Sargodha (NA-67), Maulana Rehmatullah from Jhang (PP-74), Malik Waris Kallu from Khushab (PP- 42), Muhammad Khan from Jhang (PP-81), Sahibzada Ghulam Nizamud Din Sialvi from Sargodha (PP-37), Chaudhry Abdul Razzaq Dhillon from Sargodha (PP-33) and Rana Munawar Ghous from Sargodha (PP-36).
It is worth mentioning here that member of National Assembly (MNA) Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry from NA-169 Vehari had already resigned from the PML-N and also participated in the TLYR sit-in in his city.
Member of provincial assembly (MPA) Abdul Razzaq Dhillon from Sargodha confirmed to Pakistan Today that he had tendered his resignation to Sialvi, saying that he was ready to sacrifice his life to protect the sanctity of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and to implement Shariat in the country.
He said that Sialvi went to Sargodha jail to have himself arrested in protest on the same day when the government started a crackdown against the Islamabad sit-in of TLYR. I joined hands with other lawmakers to visit Sialvi to request him to call-off his protest, he added.
He said, “We tried to convince him that the issue would be resolved amicably without further use of force, and assured him that we would also resign from the assemblies if we fail to stop the government crackdown. After the government action, we submitted our resignations to Sialvi,” Dhillon informed.
He further said that Sialvi had thousands of disciples in the country, including several lawmakers, and he was also the custodian of many shrines in the country including Bhera Sharif and Golra Sharif. It was really necessary to woo him to call-off his protest, otherwise the situation could have gotten worse, he added.
Dhillon also revealed that Sanaullah was ready to visit Sialvi, adding that the provincial law minister was expected to visit Sargodha in a few days to seek an apology from the spiritual leader over his controversial remarks regarding the Ahmedi community.
It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Minister Zaeem Qadri had already met Sialvi and pledged to pave the way for Sanauallah’s visit to seek pardon over his controversial statement.
Meanwhile, MPA Malik Waris Kallu from PP-42 Khushab told Pakistan Today that the issue was going to be resolved very soon, while adding that there was no truth in the news about the resignation of parliamentarians as it was only a media hype being created by the local correspondents of some media outfits.
He said that he met Sialvi to persuade him to call-off his ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ (movement to fill the jails) as the overall political scenario could not afford such a movement. “He is our spiritual leader and a veteran Muslim Leaguer as well, who has also served as a senator from 1988 to 1993,” Kallu said, while showing his deep loyalty to Sialvi.
Sahibzada Ghulam Nizamud Din Sialvi, an MPA from Sargodha, who also works as Parliamentary Secretary for Live Stock and Dairy Development, was the first person to have submitted his resignation to Pir of Sial Sharif shrine, as he was also the nephew of the spiritual leader. His father Sahibzada Ghullam Naseerud Din Sialvi had also remained MPA for three consecutive terms and served as minister for Auqaf during 1990-93 as well.
A senior PML-N parliamentarian told this scribe that the government did not want to lose these lawmakers, keeping in view their mass following in their respective constituencies, at a time when the government was already facing a crisis in the wake of disqualification of Nawaz Sharif.
Moreover, hundreds of supporters hailing from another faction of TLYR headed by Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali were staging a sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly to demand the resignation of the Punjab law minister along with issuing a public apology for his controversial remarks. Otherwise, the protestors have threatened to stage another long march towards Islamabad.
