Gleeful govt welcomes ECP decision

Shehbaz says ‘justice served; Bilawal describes disqualification just a ‘beginning’

 

Shortly after the ECP disqualified PTI chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p), the coalition government began reacting with glee and welcomed the ruling calling "justice served".

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reacted to the ruling, saying that the ECP had delivered justice.“The nation has seen that the post of prime minister was made a source of personal income through corrupt practices.

The idol of “sadiq and ameen” has been shattered,” he tweeted, calling on Imran to bow down before the law instead of “contesting the law, wielding sticks, firing shots and bringing mobs”.“No one is above the law,” he said.

Foreign Minister and PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto said that Imran now stood “disqualified” after the ECP found him “guilty of corrupt practices”.

“He who would spread lies about the alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red-handed,” he added.

The foreign minister’s tweet was retweeted by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, who furthered that the PTI leader was “caught with his hand in the till”.

In a media briefing, he said “this is just the beginning” and foresaw that “many such decisions will come” as he had been nominated in far more serious cases, including that of foreign funding.

He also suggested Imran retire and spend the rest of his days in Banigala.

‘Certified liar’

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz also applauded the ECP's verdict and said that “Pakistan's first certified liar and certified thief [was] disqualified with irrefutable evidence of theft,” alleging that Imran and his spouse looted the national treasury together.

She maintained that due to the magnitude of the theft, the punishment should not end with disqualification, rather Imran should be “arrested and brought before the law and the looted money should be recovered”.