Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi of Astana-e-Aalia Sial Sharif . PHOTO: File
"How will Shehbaz Sharif run the government when he can't even make his servant [Rana Sanaullah] resign," the spiritual leader said at a Khatme Nabuwwat conference in Gujranwala on Sunday.
"Let's all promise that we won't vote for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). If anything goes wrong, I'll be the first one to take the bullet," he added.
"Don't provoke us. Otherwise, we will reach the assemblies.
Sialvi warned that the Punjab government would be forced out of power if the provincial law minister was not ousted from his post.
Several lawmakers ready to part ways with PML-N
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ashraf Jalali of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik said PML-N's Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari were all working for the West.
"The masses of Pakistan can put up with electricity and gas shortages but won't compromise over the issue of Khatme Nabuwwat," he added.
Jalali announced that the Tehreek-e-Labbaik would continue its protest campaign until the government succumbed to its demands. The religious group will stage a rally from Data Darbar to the Punjab Assembly in Lahore on January 4, he added.
Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza told the participants of the conference that he would not accept a parliament which had "conspired" against the ideology of Khatme Nabuwwat.
Shehbaz intervenes to help avert crisis
He demanded that the rulers should resign by December 31. "Why are Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif silent over Rana Sanaullah's statement," he asked.
Earlier this month, after three successive deadlines to the Punjab government to clarify its stance over Sanaullah's comments about Ahmadis, the Astana-e-Aalia announced that it would not support the PML-N in the elections due next year and its followers would resign from the government.
Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi claims to have written resignations of over a dozen members of the provincial and national assemblies for submission to the speakers of the houses on his orders.
The first deadline given by Sialvi for Sanaullah’s resignation, of December 1, was delayed on the request of provincial Minister Zaeem Qadri. The next deadline was December 3 with a slightly moderate demand for the law minister to visit Sial Sharif to offer a clarification along with his resignation.
Sial Sharif parts ways with PML-N
Sanaullah suggested that anyone who wanted his resignation should approach PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. After this statement, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured Sialvi by phone of addressing his complaint and the deadline was again extended for two days.
However, according to MPA Sahibzada Ghulam Nizamuddin Sialvi, the government did not pay heed to the demand.
He said he was called by Hameeduddin Sialvi and informed about the decision. He said he tried his best to ease the situation by conveying the message to the CM and his son Hamza Shehbaz. When no interest was shown in addressing the concerns, he finally backed down from trying to defuse the situation, the MPA added.
He said the primary demand of his group now was Sanaullah’s resignation and the doors for clarifying his stance would only open after this.
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