It’s you or Sanaullah, Sialvi warns Shehbaz

• Spiritual leader asks PML-N not to provoke people or ‘fire will reach parliament’
• Takes pledge from followers against supporting PML-N in next general elections
• Says Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) has stood its ground and will do the same in future  

GUJRANWALA: Spiritual leader Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi of Astana-e-Aalia Sial Sharif on Sunday gave until December 31 to Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to make Law Minister Rana Sanaullah quit or resign himself.

Addressing a Khatam-e-Nabuwwat conference in Sheranwala Bagh here on Sunday, Sialvi asserted that he would not budge from his demand and could even lay down his life if he has to.

“How will Shehbaz Sharif run the government when he can’t even make Rana Sanaullah resign,” he said.

Sialvi warned the leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) not to play with the sentiments of the people or else “fire would reach parliament”.

The spiritual leader took a vow from the participants of the conference that they would not vote for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the next general elections and would not succumb to any pressure whatsoever.

“Let’s all promise that we won’t vote for the PML-N. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be the first one to take the bullet,” he added.

Sialvi warned that the Punjab government would be forced out of power if the provincial law minister was not ousted from his post.

Sialvi said the Punjab CM had promised him regarding the resignation of the law minister, but added that he was yet to come true to his words.

The cleric further said that MNA Hamza Shehbaz had asked him to postpone the rally, but he did not and went on to challenge him to stop it if his party’s government could.

The cleric claimed that no force could take down a united body of clerics, adding that the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) had stood its ground and would do the same in the future.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ashraf Jalali of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik said PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari were all working for the West.

“The masses of Pakistan can put up with electricity and gas shortages but won’t compromise over the issue of Khatme Nabuwwat,” he added.

Jalali announced that the Tehreek-e-Labbaik would continue its protest campaign until the government succumbed to its demands. The religious group will stage a rally from Data Darbar to the Punjab Assembly in Lahore on January 4, he added.

Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza told the participants of the conference that he would not accept a parliament which had “conspired” against the ideology of Khatme Nabuwwat.

He demanded that the rulers should resign by December 31. “Why are Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif silent over Rana Sanaullah’s statement,” he asked.

Earlier this month, after three successive deadlines to the Punjab government to clarify its stance over Sanaullah’s comments about Ahmadis, the Astana-e-Aalia announced that it would not support the PML-N in the elections due next year and its followers would resign from the government.

Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi claims to have written resignations of over a dozen members of the provincial and national assemblies for submission to the speakers of the houses on his orders.

The first deadline given by Sialvi for Sanaullah’s resignation, of December 1, was delayed on the request of provincial Minister Zaeem Qadri. The next deadline was December 3 with a slightly moderate demand for the law minister to visit Sial Sharif to offer a clarification along with his resignation.

Sanaullah suggested that anyone who wanted his resignation should approach PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. After this statement, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured Sialvi by phone of addressing his complaint and the deadline was again extended for two days.

However, according to MPA Sahibzada Ghulam Nizamuddin Sialvi, the government did not pay heed to the demand.

He said he was called by Hameeduddin Sialvi and informed about the decision. He said he tried his best to ease the situation by conveying the message to the CM and his son Hamza Shehbaz. When no interest was shown in addressing the concerns, he finally backed down from trying to defuse the situation, the MPA added.

He said the primary demand of his group now was Sanaullah’s resignation and the doors for clarifying his stance would only open after this.