- PM not ‘Sadiq and Amin’ according to constitution of Pakistan
All parliamentary parties of Punjab – hailing from the opposition – have once again reiterated their demand of Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif’s resignation as the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) – investigating money laundering and financial corruption of Sharif family – has submitted its report in the Supreme Court (SC).
According to details, parliamentary heads of opposition parties in Punjab, except for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), convened a sudden meeting on Thursday to discuss the post-JIT political situation arising in the country. The absence of PPP from the meeting raised many questions but later, leader of the opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed made it clear that PPP could not attend the meeting because its leadership was not present in Lahore. “I have talked to the leadership of PPP and they extended full support to whatever decision today’s meeting will come up with,” leader of the opposition said. A joint resolution was passed by all the parliamentary leaders seeking resignations of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif.
A four-point joint declaration was issued by the opposition parties after having detailed deliberations over the political situation and all of them urged the PM and CM to resign immediately for the sake of the democratic setup prevailing in the country. “Now it is apparent that PM and his family could not produce the money trail of their assets and it is also evident in the report that there is a disparity in the statements of PM in his National Assembly speech, his address to the nation and the statement submitted in the SC. Therefore, the PM is not ‘Sadiq and Amin’ according to Article 62 and 63 of the constitution of Pakistan,” the joint declaration said.
According to the joint declaration, the CM was the main player in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills scam and JIT report says that he is involved in the money laundering of 8 million dollars being the director of Hudaibiya Paper Mills and therefore he has also lost moral and legal values to remain in power. The Joint-declaration further said that the statements of CM, PM and federal ministers against the JIT are anti-democratic and it is Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that is trying to derail the system.
The opposition parties also cautioned that PML-N may attack the SC, judging by their past conduct, but such a step can create unrest and it may also put democracy in danger. “A public awareness campaign would be run by the opposition parties to keep the masses updated about the corruption of the rulers and parties outside the parliament like Pakistan Awami Tehrik, Majlis-e-Wahdatul Mauslimeen and civil society would also be contacted,” the joint declaration said.
According to leader of the opposition, Shahbaz Sharif established the three sugar mills illegally, just to get financial benefits for his family. “The Punjab CM deviated from his oath and therefore we’ll file a reference for his disqualification in the Lahore High Court on Saturday,” he said. Rasheed urged the PML-N parliamentarians not to support the Sharif brothers; otherwise their party and democracy will be in danger. The meeting was attended by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dr Waseem Akhtar, Sardar Vickas Hassan Mokal of PML-Q and Dr Murad Ras, Dr Nousheen Hamid, Shunila Ruth and Waheed and Waheed Dogar of PTI.
