ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday launched the first phase of agitation against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as he ordered the party to hold “go Nawaz, go” rallies in Punjab.
Addressing a meeting of the PPP Punjab executive committee, the PPP leader said that Nawaz Sharif had lost credibility and did not hold himself accountable before the elected parliament.
He directed the PPP Punjab to organise “go Nawaz, go” rallies in every district of Punjab.
Bilawal’s announcement came as the Supreme Court is hearing of the Panama Papers case, a week after the joint investigation team (JIT) submitted its report in the top court.
Nawaz Sharif’s family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar have submitted their objections on the “biased” JIT report, which found “significant” disparities in Sharif family’s income and actual wealth.
The JIT was formed in April to probe the Sharif family’s money trail and it submitted the report to the SC on July 10.
Bilawal said that there were supporters of the PPP in every constituency of Punjab and now time had come for them “to become part of 'go Nawaz, go' movement in their area.”
He also instructed the provincial chapter to complete party organisation in Punjab so that he could visit every district and division and meet the people.
Bilawal said that the Manifesto Committee of the party had begun its work and this manifesto would reflect party policy towards betterment of the common people of Pakistan according to PPP philosophy.
He said that the PPP would work hard and win with the support of people as it performed in Karachi and Gilgit-Baltistan by-elections.
Qamar Zaman Kaira, Aslam Gil, Chaudhry Aslam Pervez, Asif Khan, Mian Azhar Hussain Dar, Javed Bhatti, Shahzad Saeed, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Usman Salim Malik, Asim Mehmood Bhatti, Raja Shahjahan Sarfaraz, Hasan Murtaza, Diwan Muhammad Shamim, Haji Azizur Rehman Chan, Haji Falak Sher, Khurram Jahangir Wattoo, Samina Gurkhi, Shahid Nadim, Hafiz Asif, Musa Khokhar and Imran Zafar Leghari participated in the meeting.
Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed and Jamil Soomro were also present.
The party also held a prayers’ session on the death anniversary of Shahnawaz Bhutto.
Senator Farhatullah Babar and Sabir Baloch were in attendance.
Earlier in the day, opposition leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah said that the government itself was the biggest threat to democracy.
Speaking to journalists here, Shah said that the government would be trapped further if it tried to open more cases.
“The government itself is the biggest threat to parliament and democracy. The role of the Supreme Court should not be questioned,” he remarked.
Shah added: “If the volume 10 of the JIT report is made public then Nawaz Sharif will face more embarrassment.”
He said that the PPP’s prime minister – Yousaf Raza Gilani – was disqualified by the Supreme Court in 2012 but the party did not raise any hue and cry.
“The accountability should to be limited to the PPP or the politicians. Retired generals and bureaucrats should also be held accountable,” Shah said.
PPP central Punjab General Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan said that the PPP would support the institutions and the constitution.
He said that the government should not shy away from the accountability process.
“The accountability should be for all. The government should show heart,” Chan said.
