ISLAMABAD: Awami Muslim League (AML) Chairman Sheikh Rasheed urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to impose a 90-day-long ‘judicial martial law’ in the run-up to the forthcoming general elections.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, he said that appointing the caretaker prime minister was actually the responsibility of the chief justice as the whole nation was looking up to the judiciary in this regard.
“Perhaps, the CJP should impose a 90-day-long judicial martial law in the country, but, this martial law should only last till the elections,” he said.
He said that not only Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah but all heads of the opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan must be consulted for the appointment of a caretaker prime minister.
“A caretaker PM without the approval of Imran Khan would not be accepted,” he remarked.
Discussing the retirement of the president, he said that the caretaker government should be as per the nation’s standards.
Rasheed expressed his disappointment with the assemblies for wanting to appoint a new president.
“Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will be the caretaker president after the president’s retirement,” he said.
Casting doubts over Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s recent trip to the United States, the AML chief said that the nation had every right to question the visit that took place without the presence of foreign and military secretaries among other key staff required for such an important trip.
Taking the opportunity to once again criticise deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif over his alleged involvement in corruption and money laundering while defending himself, he said that unlike the former premier, he was neither involved in money laundering nor was he facing the Panamagate scandal.
“I have been paying taxes since 1974,” he said.
Earlier, Nawaz Sharif, while speaking to the media after appearing before an accountability court had taken a jibe at Sheikh Rasheed, saying that the man who spoke about everyone’s corruption charges had been concealing property worth millions of rupees.
