Only Nawaz can put Pakistan on 'right track', says Safdar

LAHORE:

Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar said on Thursday that former premier and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is the only leader who can "improve Pakistan's fate and pull it out from the current problem". 

He, however, supported the stance of conducting elections within the stipulated time of 90 days from the dissolution of the National Assembly.

The statement came amid divided opinions about the date of the coming general elections.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chair Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has repeatedly demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) hold the election within the constitutional timeframe of 90 days.

The ECP, however, insists on the voting after fresh delimitation of constituencies on the basis of the new census. The fresh delimitation process required a 120-day time period. The election schedule could be announced after that, which would spread over 54 days.

The PML-N has been saying all along that the elections should be held on the basis of new constituencies.

Read Bilawal takes a dig at PML-N on poll date

Safdar made the remarks while talking to the media outside a district court where he appeared for a hearing of his acquittal applications.  

He said, "Nawaz Sharif's only fault was denying the extension of tenure of then COAS [chief of army staff] General Qamar Javed Bajwa."

"The practice of giving extensions should be stopped immediately," he added.

Proceeding

As the proceedings commenced, the petitioner’s counsel Advocate Khawar Malik argued that "stories in both FIRs were nothing but concocted merely to humiliate Captain (retd) Safdar".

He contended that the PML-N leader had nothing to do with these cases adding that he was implicated merely to be humiliated and the FIRs are "clear evidence of the political victimisation".

He further argued that before inserting 124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in the FIR it is necessary to get permission from the deputy commissioner but in this case, due process was not followed

Read More PML-N to go solo in Punjab elections

Advocate Malik maintained that Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan had struck down 124-A of the PPC, terming it unconstitutional.

Safdar's counsel told the court that "LHC judges have observed that this clause has been used for vested interests and political gains".

Meanwhile, Islampura police submitted a report before the court requesting to discharge the FIRs as there is no sufficient material available against the accused person.

After hearing the arguments, the court reserved the decision. 

It is worth mentioning that two FIRs had been registered against Nawaz's son-in-law in the Islampura police station under different charges, including Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and 124-A & 506 of the PPC.