RECORDER REPORT

PESHAWAR: Reacting to the sentence to former president of Pakistan Muslim League-N Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Capt Safdar (retd) by an accountability court, the party’s workers staged a protest demonstration outside Peshawar Press Club and described it an attempt to keep PML-N out of the election process.

The protestors were led by former MPA Sobia Shahid, provincial vice president Rashid Mehmood and PK-67 candidate Fazalullah Daudzai, who were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the court’s decision. The protestors also set on fire the flag of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and shouted slogans against Imran Khan also. They also raised the party slogan ‘vote ko izat do’.

The protestors alleged that the PML-N leaders had committed no crime but they were convicted under a well-organized conspiracy to victimize the party. Lambasting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership, they said that Imran Khan wished to become prime minister at all costs and thus he was hand in glove with anti-PML-N forces to keep Nawaz Sharif’s followers out of the election race. “We reject the court’s decision. We will agitate as the top leadership issues instructions against the court decision,” the speakers warned. They said that PML-N was a national level largest party and the rival political parties were not in the position to defeat it through public votes and thus its leadership was convicted and the candidates were forced to change their loyalties. “Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are in hearts of the people and no one can remove them through use of force,” Ms Sobia Shahid said.