M RAFIQUE GORAYA

LAHORE: Leaders of opposition parties have denounced ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s rally on the GT road and said “he is attempting to pressurize the superior judiciary to postpone hearing of references against him and his children but he will fail in his tactics.

In a series of messages on Twitter, the PTI chief Imran Khan termed Nawaz’s ‘homecoming’ rally on the GT road as ‘Corruption Bachao [save] rally’”

In a message to Nawaz Sharif said: You can blame the umpires, the pitch, the weather, some of your players; but in the end you can’t avoid the sinking feeling that the game is over and you have lost. “And you will also realize there is a downward trend in the number of people listening to your excuses of poor umpiring.

PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood claimed that the political career of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party had ended after Supreme Court’s verdict to disqualify Nawaz Sharif in Panama case. He said the top leadership of PML-N is targeting judiciary and state institutions in an act of retaliation, committing contempt of court by distributing pamphlets against judges. PTI spokesperson criticized the homecoming rally and declared it a political step against judiciary. He stated that the ruling party only admits court’s rulings when in their favour.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said in a TV interview that Nawaz Sharif is not eligible to do politics in the country any more.” Kaira criticized Nawaz’s repeated claims that he has been disqualified as a result of a conspiracy.

Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed, a resident of Rawalpindi, termed Nawaz’s speech [on Wednesday night] a pack of lies; He claimed that the people of Islamabad did not come out to support Nawaz, adding that neither were residents of the federal capital in Rawalpindi last night. 

Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML) senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Parvez Elahi said that PML-N has governments in the centre as well as Punjab so against whom they are protesting. Chaudhry said Nawaz was disqualified on corruption charges and claimed the people have rejected Nawaz’s ‘anti-judiciary’ march. 

Replying to questions from the media, Ch Parvez Elahi said except salaried people and daily wagers none else has been seen around, because of their government in Punjab deputy commissioners and police officers were pressurized to bring tehsildars and patwaris but despite all efforts people have not come out on the roads because they think that the Supreme Court has caught his theft.

In reply to another question, Ch Parvez Elahi said he (Nawaz Sharif) is taking out rally to cover up his own corruption for which all government sources, departments and employees are being utilized, this is why the common man is not being seen on the roads.

Pakistan Awami Tehrik Chairman Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has asked Nawaz Sharif to tell the nation against whom he is taking out a rally; if he has the courage, he should names of those the ex-premier believes are conspiring against him. He added that in case of his failure to prove the identity of the ‘conspirators’, we will think that a dishonest person has declared a war on the state of Pakistan.

He said, “Nawaz Sharif, you have got a certificate of dishonesty. If you had a bit of honour left, you would have restricted yourself to your home instead of enacting a drama on the GT Road.”