PTI not to let PM trigger political crisis

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) top leadership vowed on Friday not to let the prime minister trigger a democratic, political or parliamentary crisis, saying he had to decide whether to step down ‘voluntarily’ or go home after having been sentenced.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan chaired the hurriedly-called meeting here after the Supreme Court reserved its judgment in the PanamaLeaks case earlier in the day. Apart from others, PTI leaders from Lahore and Karachi and Islamabad also participated in the meeting. AML President Sh Rasheed Ahmad was also present during the deliberations.

A legal experts’ team briefed the forum about the possible judgment of the apex court bench in the Panama case and the likely impact of the same on the future political landscape. Moreover, matters relating to the party’s political future strategy were also discussed threadbare in the meeting.

The meeting called for the release of the much-talked-about Volume X of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report. The PTI leadership asserted that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was left with no other option but to tender resignation.

After the meeting, a statement was issued, which said that the party leadership took stock of the impact of the ‘threats being hurled by the prime minister. Likewise, the forum discussed possible threats to the apex court besides the prime minister’s inflexible attitude and its repercussions on the national policies, parliament and democracy.

The PTI leadership deliberated upon the possibility of evolving a consensus on the ‘crimes of prime minister and his family’.  Earlier, PTI Spokesperson Fawad Hussain Chaudhry claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be disqualified and sent to jail in the Panama case judgment. This, he said, while talking to journalists outside the Supreme Court.

"Nawaz Sharif has lied to the nation, assembly, and court and he had not disclosed assets linked with his United Arab Emirates based Company (Capital FZE),” he charged.  He hoped the apex court bench judgment would be announced in the next eight to 10 days.

PTI’s senior leader Asad Umar also congratulated the nation on the completion of hearing into the historic case and that all were equal before the law while the prime minister was never held accountable in the past.

Asad contended that the prime minister should desist from hurling threats at the state institutions and asserted not only his children but each child in Pakistan deserved respect and honour. He claimed there were many cases in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He regretted Nawaz gave threats to the JIT as well.