PML-N toughens line after SC orders Hamza to work as ‘trustee CM’

As the Supreme Court suspended the deputy speaker’s ruling on Punjab chief minister election, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders on Saturday toughened their line and demanded action against PTI Chairman Imran Khan for “violating Constitution and threatening state institutions”.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal asked, “Why Imran Niazi is considered above the law despite disrespecting the Constitution and committing contempt of the court”.

He claimed that the former prime minister used “abusive” language against the institutions and courts. “He [Imran] is involved in foreign funding scam… he said the country could become Sri Lanka… he claimed division in the forces and attempted to involve courts in political cases by pressuring them through the social media, but no legal action was taken against him despite all these things,” the minister remarked.

Iqbal said that demand of the coalition government about constitution of full SC bench to hear the Punjab chief minister election case should be taken seriously, as it was important to avoid any dispute. He said the coalition parties wanted to protect the sanctity of the courts at any cost.

The minister said that Qasim Suri remained an MNA and the deputy speaker of the National Assembly on a stay order for around two-and-a-half years and committed contempt of court as well.

Iqbal said the former deputy speaker “violated” the Constitution, but no action was taken against him. He said that Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari should also be respected like the speaker of any other assembly.

He alleged that the PTI chairman was on a mission to create anarchy and instability in the country. “Imran used the same method in Pakistan to hijack the electoral process by using foreign funding, which was employed in the United States by Donald Trump.”

He added that Imran employed 1,400 social activists in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for Rs25,000 monthly salary each and they had been pursuing a campaign against the national institutions.

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He said that the PML-N and its coalition parties played a responsible role to save the country under the current situation.

When he was asked that there were some efforts underway to bring all political parties on the table to sort out a political solution to the current crisis, Ahsan Iqbal said that if Imran Khan was looking for an NRO [deal] in his foreign funding case on the pretext of reconciliation, the coalition government would not accept it.

Expressing similar views, PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry alleged that PTI chief Imran Khan had been uttering derogatory remarks against the national institutions and threatening them to get decisions of his choice.

“The PML-N believes in the supremacy of law and the Constitution and always respected the court verdicts. However, it wants across the board decisions and equal standards of justice,” the ruling party leader said.

Addressing the press conference, he said that across the board accountability should be ensured as nobody was above the law. He said the parliament was supreme institution as it had the mandate to make or amend the laws.

Talal claimed that former PM Imran was declared dishonest by the US court in his Banigala residence case, but no action was taken against him, while, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in Panama case for not taking salary from his son.

The PML-N leader said that foreign funding and Peshawar BRT cases had been pending for years despite a plenty of evidence had been emerged in these cases. He demanded that verdict in the cases should soon be announced.

Talal Chaudhry said the PML-N paid the price many times for serving the people of the country and for its loyalty.

He said the coalition government led by PML-N again opted to take tough decisions for saving the country from default rather going to the general elections by leaving the country at its fate.

He said the PML-N was always ready for general elections, however, it wanted level playing field to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

Likewise, former federal minister and central leader of PML-N Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali said that PTI chief Imran was pushing the country toward civil war for his political gains.

“Law is equal for everyone. The constitutional institutions must work impartially and the same treatment should be meted out to all, he told the presser.

He said that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif served the country but unfortunately, he was expelled from politics. He not only overcome the menace of load-shedding during his tenure as the prime minister but also eliminated terrorism, constructed motorways and served masses through massive development and uplift programmes, the ruling party leader said.

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“On other hand, Imran Khan is only abusing the opposition on the social media through his cronies. Imran is hoodwinking the youth and creating hatred among people,” Abid added.

“We respect courts, but those elements who are intimidating the constitutional institutions must be dealt with an iron hand,” he said and hoped that the courts would now de-seat 10 members of the Punjab Assembly, like the 25 members of the PTI who had voted against the directions of the party head.

‘Smear campaign against judiciary’

Meanwhile, as the Supreme Court took up the PML-Q’s petition related to the controversial Punjab’s CM election, the ruling PML-N purportedly launched an organised smear campaign on social media in a bid to influence the apex court’s proceedings.

Many PML-N leaders and supporters posted tweets against judiciary and using hashtags, raising doubts over the integrity of the apex court judges.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, talking to the media in Lahore, also said earlier today that judges who sentenced party supremo Nawaz Sharif should not hear cases related to the PML-N.

He also requested the chief justice to form full benches to hear cases related to the party. The minister added that certain judges who sentenced Nawaz and other leaders are part of the benches hearing new cases against the party, and such judges should not be included or a full court should hear the cases so that justice can prevail.