ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers in the Upper and Lower Houses on Friday protested the Panamagate verdict announced by the Supreme Court a day earlier, with chants of ‘Go Nawaz, go’ echoing in parliament.
National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi struggled to maintain order in the House, as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sheikh Aftab’s speech during question hour was disrupted by lawmakers who registered their protest before the speaker’s dais and staged a walkout. Opposition parties ramped up the pressure against the ruling party and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, demanding the premier’s resignation with one voice and protesting the Supreme Court’s verdict in Panamagate case in parliament.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) each held press conferences following a meeting of the opposition parties in Islamabad. PTI Chairman Imran Khan himself snubbed the huddle, heading over instead to the National Assembly (NA) where he announced his party’s intent to hold a rally in the capital next week demanding the PM’s resignation for the duration of the probe into the Sharif family’s business dealings abroad.
Following the spate of critical speeches by the opposition, the PML-N appeared to be on the back foot, as party leader Daniyal Aziz lashed out at opposition parties, saying that Maryam Nawaz’s name had been cleared by the court in the Panamagate case.
Aziz also set his sights on Imran Khan, asking the PTI chief to issue a public denial for “hiding his assets and engaging in tax evasion”.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb called for “caution” in the aftermath of the verdict, saying agitation must be halted “otherwise incidents like Mardan and Sialkot will continue to happen”.
A meeting of opposition parties, chaired by PPP’s Khurshid Shah and Aitzaz Ahsan, discussed the ramifications of the SC verdict on Panamagate earlier Friday. During the meeting, Aitzaz Ahsan and Farooq H Naek briefed the participants on the verdict. The opposition collectively decided to demand the PM’s resignation and protest the matter in both the NA and the Senate.
Opposition leader Khurshid Shah, while addressing the joint meeting, said, “Except the government, every other party has understood the Panama case verdict.”
“Today, the sessions of parliament will be postponed indefinitely,” Shah said, adding that opposition parties must vehemently protest in both the Upper and Lower Houses of parliament.
PPP lawmakers Aitzaz Ahsan and Khurshid Shah, addressing a press conference following the meeting of opposition parties, rejected the formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the PM’s family, claiming that the Sharifs had links to the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the State Bank of Pakistan.
“How can an employee fairly investigate his employer?” Shah asked.
“We always asked the PM to refrain from resigning [in the past] for the sake of democracy. We always stood by Nawaz Sharif [for democracy],” he said.
Senator Aitzaz Ahsan said it was a custom of the SC to “keep a soft hand on the Sharifs”, but noted that the majority judges had rejected a letter from a Qatari royal member submitted as a piece of evidence by the counsel for the premier.
He said the PPP had rejected the formation of a JIT, which would include people who favoured the ruling party.
The PPP also rejected the SC decision to clear Maryam Nawaz before the formation of the JIT. In response to a question, Aitzaz Ahsan said the PPP would form a new strategy to force the prime minister to step down.
On the other hand, Awami Muslim League (AML) President Sheikh Rasheed called for all parties to create “a grand alliance” against the government.
“You failed in two subjects and failed to clear the other three, and you still think you passed the exam,” Rasheed exclaimed. “It doesn’t make sense that you [the PML-N] are distributing sweets even after you’ve failed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq called for the resignation of PM Nawaz Sharif “on moral grounds”. The JI chief framed the party’s move against the sitting prime minister as “part of its ongoing campaign against corruption”.
“Nawaz’s respect lies in resigning and conducting a free investigation into the case,” he maintained. “The SC verdict is not the destination but a step forward towards success.”
