Opposition parties form alliance ‘to oust PM’

Demand authorities to file fortnightly performance report of JIT public

LAHORE: The opposition parties - Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) - have teamed up to constitute a grand alliance on the Panama issue and pressure Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.

Leaders of the four-party alliance met on Sunday and gave approval to form a grand alliance on the Panama issue under the leadership of PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

According to a joint communiqué issued after the maiden meeting of the four-party alliance, the conglomerate would support lawyers’ movement aimed at sending the premier packing. The alliance demanded authorities to make public fortnightly performance report of the joint investigation team (JIT).

The alliance demanded immediate resignation of the prime minister as after the apex court’s verdict the prime minister had been accused and his credibility put in doubt. Leaders of the alliance had underscored that prime minister’s resignation was necessary to fulfil the requirements of justice. Otherwise the report of this JIT would not be different from the final report of the Model Town carnage.

The alliance also demanded immediate release of Justice Baqar Najfi’s report on Model Town carnage, in which, over a dozen PAT workers were killed in broad daylight.

The alliance had also decided to increase coordination with other parties and constituted a committee, comprising Tariq Bashir Cheema, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas for the purpose.

The meeting was attended by senior PML leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Senator Kamal Ali Agha, S M Zafar, Chaudhry Zaheer Uddin, Muhammad Basharat Raja, Dr Khalid Ranjha, Dr Azeem Uddin Lakhvi, Mian Munir, Sheikh Umar Hayyat, Shadab Jaffri, PTI leader Dr Basharat Jaspal, SIC’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza, MWM’s Raja Nasir and Asad Abbas Naqvi.

In a separate meeting, a delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) met PML leaders under the leadership of JI Ameer Senator Siraj-ul-Haq. Leaders of both the parties reiterated the demand for immediate resignation of the prime minister before he presents himself before the JIT.

They asked the chief justice of Pakistan to ensure transparency of the JIT and keep the nation posted about its fortnightly report. The meeting decided to constitute a four-member team comprising senior lawyer to monitor proceedings of the JIT. It was decided in the meeting a delegation of four-party alliance would visit Mansoora to formally invite JI leadership to join the alliance.

Hussain said all opposition parties should put their differences aside on the Panama issue as all five judges had given unanimous decision against the prime minister.

Elahi said rulers had started distributing sweets and beating drums before reading the court verdict. Once they read the whole decision, they not only forgot about sweets, but also cancelled prime minister’s address to the nation.

Haq said corruption was the mother of all problems in the country. It is happening for the first time that the Supreme Court has accused the prime minister and directed him to present himself before the JIT, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2017.