Nawaz, Tareen must face consequences, says Bilawal

GUJRANWALA/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Friday the fate of politicians should be decided by the people.

“I am of the belief that it’s the people of Pakistan who should make such decisions about the fate of politicians. Unfortunately, it is the PTI and PML-N themselves who have forced the judicialisation of our politics. Naehal (disqualified) Nawaz and Tareen must now face the consequences of their actions,” he tweeted on Friday after the Supreme Court verdict.

Meanwhile, referring to the Supreme Court judgement that disqualified former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for life from holding any public office, PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Friday said the person elected thrice as prime minister had been disqualified four times.

“The Supreme Court verdicts are creating a new Pakistan,” he said while addressing the party workers in Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Sambrial and other towns.

Imran said the Adiala Jail was being cleaned because a ‘big robber’ was going to be housed there.

“Shahbaz Sharif is cleaning the Adiala Jail for his elder brother and the next is Khawaja Asif’s turn,” he said.

“We salute the Supreme Court for giving a historical decision against a powerful accused,” Imran said, adding that the PML-N government had destroyed all the institutions. He claimed that not a single hospital had been established by the Punjab government during the last 10 years rule.

“The Sharif family visits London for treatment but a poor man faces great troubles for his treatment,” he added.

Imran said the farmers too were protesting against the bad policies of the government. “They work hard in the fields all the year but their payments are still pending with the sugar mills.

“I had spent eight days in jail but I did not find any big robber there. Only poor thieves were there. One the other hand, the powerful robbers, who stole the nation's money, are getting protocol. But now for the first time in the country’s history, the Supreme Court has given its ruling against a powerful thief,” said the PTI chief.

He said such big decisions would help them make a new Pakistan. “We are against all the corrupt elements, big money launderers. The Sharif family and Asif Zardari are also included in this list and our fight against them would be go on,” he said.

Earlier, Imran was warmly welcomed in Wazirabad by the local leaders and workers. He also visited three membership camps and inaugurated the wheat harvesting campaign at Aziz Chak.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s lifetime disqualification was the result of his own mistake.

Speaking to the media here shortly after the apex court’s historic verdict, he said Nawaz was disqualified for lifetime through the article which he had supported. “This was the same article that was given to the country by Ziaul Haq when Nawaz Sharif was the prime minister,” he said.

The PPP leader said the opposition parties wanted parliament to decide the fate of this article but despite repeated requests Nawaz did not listen. “I want to tell the politicians of this country that democracy and politics can only work if supremacy of parliament is accepted.”

He said the PPP believed in the supremacy of parliament. “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto built parliament to listen to the voice of people but unfortunately some undemocratic forces exploited the Constitution and robbed our rights. Some people supported Zia for their own personal interest and tried to preserve this article when the 18th Amendment was being made," he added.

Opposition Leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman on Friday said the Supreme Court verdict on disqualification was expected but Nawaz Sharif thought himself above the law and untouchable.

“When the PPP was asking for amending Article 62 of the Constitution, Nawaz Sharif did not hear us in his pride but now he is portraying himself as a political martyr,” she said while talking to newsmen in her chamber at the Parliament House.

Sherry said the PPP had made all-out efforts to convince the PML-N leadership to amend the article but Ishaq Dar refused to go on it with the PPP. “Though Nawaz Sharif’s political role may not end, his parliamentary role has ended,” she said.

She asked why Nawaz Sharif was now protesting when the PML-N government was still in power and he was still making the cabinet decisions. She said the PPP always accepted court verdicts and never indulged in politics of confrontation when its prime ministers were executed and sent to jail, while the PML-N had started an election campaign against the decisions.

“Nawaz Sharif is not the only politician affected by the SC verdict, as PTI leader Jehangir Tareen also stands disqualified,” she said. Sherry said the PML-N legislators still could not meet Nawaz despite disqualification as the party president.