PPP stresses PM must step down

Says Nawaz must present himself before JIT probing Panama case

LAHORE: PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has lost all moral authority to occupy the highest offices of the country. He said Nawaz should immediately resign and present himself before the joint investigation team formed after a Supreme Court decision on Panama leaks.

Addressing a news conference here on Saturday, Pervaiz said when former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani was facing court cases during the previous regime, Nawaz suggested that the then PM should step down and present him before a court of law. He added it would set a good precedent if the premier Sharif followed the same advice.

“However, now the time had passed and the newly formed JIT had started its investigation against the ruling family,” he maintained.



The senior leader underscored that his party was the biggest victim of double standards. He added PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, his daughter Benazir Bhutto and the party’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had all faced the court and never tried to fool the system.

He said the PPP leadership even presented itself before the courts in “non-cases”. “I am also facing cases for giving Grade-4 jobs to the youth in government departments. “The government has sacked all those employees and I am still facing these charges,” he said.

Ashraf further stated former military dictator Pervaiz Musharaf and Nawaz Sharif were the only two who did not present themselves before the court. “Neither the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) nor the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) sent a single notice to the PM. NAB also shown its inability to proceed against Sharifs in the Panama case.”

Pervaiz stated that although double standards were rampant in the country, the PPP leaders had always respected courts and proved their innocence by following the legal course,” he underscored.

Answering a question, he said two judges of out the five-member bench had given a decision against Nawaz Sharif, while the remaining judges proposed a JIT.

“PPP’s policy of reconciliation had strengthened democracy in the country. We are democratic people who cannot come in the government through backdoors. PPP still believes in broader reconciliation on public issues and has once again mobilised all over the country.” He assured the party would make a comeback in 2018.

Court dismisses Pervaiz’s plea

A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) judge has dismissed former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s application to dismiss a reference against him for illegally recruiting 400 employees at the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO).

Subsequently, NAB filed a reference against him. Raja’s counsel Advocate Iftikhar Shahid told the court that there was no documentary or incriminatory evidence available against Pervaiz so he should be absolved of the charges.

He further contended that statements recorded by IO, which were in favoor of the former PM, were not made part of the reference.

He said there were a lot of missing documents which were not clipped with the reference filed by NAB.

The judge first reserved a decision and later dismissed the application.

The court had earlier fixed May 6 as the date for framing charges against the former PM and later moved the date forward to May 20.

In previous proceedings, Pervaiz filed another application, requesting the court to grant him an exemption from a personal appearance.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2017.