PPP leader urges Nawaz Sharif to push for elections

SUKKUR: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader Khursheed Shah on Tuesday called on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to push for elections now that he has returned back to the country which he hinted was a result of a back door deal.

The former opposition leader in the National Assembly, while talking to the media in Sukkur, appealed to the three-time prime minister to “save the country but not become anyone's tool" in the process.

“I will appeal to Nawaz Sharif to save Pakistan but not come to [power] with anyone's help,” said the PPP leader.

Shah added that his party’s “clear stance” was that the elections were not being held in the country within 90 days to accommodate Nawaz Sharif.

“Nawaz Sharif should clearly announce that he is back and elections should now be held. If Nawaz Sharif comes via the wrong path, he will also be remembered in history as [selected],” said Shah.

On October 21, the PML-N supremo landed in Pakistan — ending a four-year self-imposed exile in London — and addressed a massive power show at the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore.

During his maiden speech after the homecoming, the elder Sharif, who had been issuing strong remarks against the establishment, announced that he had “no wish to take revenge”.

Talking about his party, Khursheed Shah said that whenever the PPP has come to power it has come with a manifesto.

Talking about the Supreme Court’s verdict on the military trial of civilians, Shah wondered if the civilian courts were capable of giving a sentence to those who have been accused or were behind the attacks on state institutions for the sake of their politics.

“We have a lot of examples in the past when courts have refused to take a case citing pressure. Cases of major terrorists were also returned and that will have to be looked into but the Supreme Court’s decision is final,” noted the former opposition leader.

The PPP leader was commenting on a five-member bench’s verdict on petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and others.

The bench that delivered the verdict comprised Justice Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Justice Ayesha Malik.

The larger bench in its short verdict ordered that 102 accused arrested under the Army Act be tried in the criminal court and ruled that the trial of any civilian if held in a military court will now be considered null and void.

The top court said the verdict is applicable to all those accused arrested in connection with the riots of May 9 and 10.