Opposition demands PM, Punjab CM’s resignations over Sahiwal killings

Shehbaz Sharif launches fresh attack on PTI govt while speaking during National Assembly’s mini-budget session

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar to resign over Sahiwal tragedy in which four people including a minor girl were gunned down last week.

Speaking on a point of order during a session of the lower house called by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government on Wednesday to unveil its second mini-budget of the current fiscal year, Shehbaz said, “[PM] Imran Khan demanded my resignation over Model Town incident … and now he should resign on Sahiwal tragedy.”

The former Punjab CM claimed that the current chief minister needed prior permission before performing every task.



Responding to opposition leader’s verbal attack, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the government had decided to act against those involved in the incident after launching a swift investigation into it. He advised the opposition parties to refrain from politicking on the human tragedy.

Earlier in the day, while addressing a news conference outside the Parliament House in Islamabad, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders termed the ‘interim’ JIT report on Sahiwal incident a ‘serious joke with the nation’.

Speaking on the occasion, Rana Sanaullah, Rana Tanveer Hussain and Marriyum Aurangzeb rejected the joint investigation team formed by the government and said that no one was named in the FIR lodged over the incident. They added that Punjab was being controlled from Bani Gala.



The fresh verbal attack by the opposition party comes a day after intelligence agencies claimed finding “strong evidence” against Zeeshan Javed, the car driver killed along with an innocent family in Sahiwal earlier this week, indicating had links with a terrorist group.

According to sources, data from a mobile phone seized on Zeeshan shows him pictured with Usman, a high-profile terrorist who was gunned down by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in an encounter in Faisalabad on January 15.

Usman was said to be affiliated with the ultra-extremist Islamic State terrorist group, also known by its Arabic acronym Da’ish.

Investigators have also found the registration documents of Zeeshan’s car which show that the vehicle had been purchased in the name of Adeel Hafeez, another Da’ish terrorist killed in the January 15 encounter, sources added.