Ruling family’s pillars to fall soon: Awan

Says Nawaz be considered disqualified, only SC verdict is awaited

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Babar Awan has said that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the ruling family is undergoing accountability.

“Consider Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif disqualified in the light of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report … only the Supreme Court’s verdict is awaited,” said Awan at a press conference on Tuesday.

“The countdown has begun in Panama case,” he said. “The King of Patwaris” and “culprits of Model Town carnage” were about to be caught, he said, adding that the PM had failed to respond to the 15 questions asked by the Panamagate JIT.

By the Model Tow carnage, Awan meant the June 17, 2013 killing of 14 Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers in a police crackdown outside Minhajul Quran’s Secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town area. The PAT and the PTI believe justice was not delivered.



Awan demanded that “Godfather one” and “Godfather two” should immediately tender their resignations as not much time was left for them after the JIT report. He was possibly referring to PM Nawaz and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He claimed that the court would soon announce its verdict in the Panama case and the “ruling family’s big pillars will fall in front of justice”.

The noted lawyer said that the ruling family was not facing accountability due to the PTI’s petition, emphasizing that the family was already involved in an international corruption scandal and it was just a matter of time before their illegal activities surfaced.



He taunted Nawaz, saying that he would be the only prime minister in the world who had been employed in a foreign company on a paltry salary of a few thousand bucks, and asking a foreign company to provide him residence.

The new PTI entrant said that ‘cronies’ of the Sharif family had said that PM Nawaz’s life was like an open book, adding that the JIT had opened only a few pages of this book and found mega corruption scandals.

On the occasion, senior PTI leader Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar also took the ruling family to task.

“Politics of confrontation of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is a threat to democracy,” he said, adding that the PML-N must give all evidence in court and get a clean chit if they were innocent.

He said the JIT report and the apex court’s comments depicted corruption of rulers. He opined that the rulers should step down because they had lost the legitimacy to remain in power.

“Rulers will not be allowed to hide corruption in the guise of democracy,” he added.

Sarwar spoke high of PTI chief Imran Khan, saying he would solve the longstanding problems of inflation, unemployment and corruption after coming into power.

“Strength of democracy lies in vibrant and inclusive accountability,” he said, adding that the people of Pakistan were losing their interest in the system due to the misdeeds of rulers.

Sarwar vowed to stand by the state institutions, especially the Supreme Court.