Nawaz disqualification termed the worst decision

Amir Nafees

Legislators demand withdrawal of PCO judges' security, protocol; propose besieging their chambers | House repeatedly re-sounded with 'Go Musharraf Go' slogans | PPP assures PML-N of full support | Abdul Qadir Gillani says they have lost BB but don't want to lose Nawaz

LAHORE: The legislators from PML-N, PPP and other parties in the Punjab Assembly strongly condemned the verdict of the Lahore High Court regarding Nawaz Sharif's disqualification, terming it the worst political decision of the judicial history.

The members hailing from PPP, PML-F, MMA and PML-Q forward bloc condemned the decision. Perhaps it was the first time in the history of Pakistan that any verdict of the judiciary was condemned unanimously in the house and all the members joined the proceedings, holding the judiciary responsible for the crisis. The Punjab Assembly proceedings on Tuesday started at 11:50am, about one hour and 50 minutes late. After the recitation of verses from the holy Quran and Naat, Acting Speaker Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan administered oath to newly elected member Punjab Assembly Syed Abdul Qadir Gillani.

Later, he announced that the house proceedings were being suspended on the demand of the members as they wanted to discuss the LHC verdict regarding Nawaz Sharif's disqualification. The house repeatedly resounded with 'Go Musharraf Go' slogans and even the embers raised slogans against the PCO judges. The members remained present in the house and warmly took part in the discussion and expressed their anger and wrath against the judiciary.

Provincial Finance Minister Tanveer Ashraf Kaira was the first man who opened the discussion, assuring PML-N of full support. He said that on behalf of the PPPP he strongly condemned the verdict against Nawaz Sharif. He added PPP not only condemned the decision but also rejected it.

"We will continue our journey with PML-N as coalition partners and will face all the problems together shoulder to shoulder," he said, adding the coalition government would definitely foil all the evil designs of those hatching conspiracies against PML-N. He said the verdict was not only against PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif but also against the people of Pakistan, democracy and democratic institutions. This was an attempt to hijack democracy but such attempts would be foiled, he said. He also said PPP would further strengthen this coalition and fight for the rights along with PML-N which should not consider it alone at any stage.

Provincial Prisons Minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, condemning the verdict, said if the independent judiciary existed in the country, nobody could hang Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the Sharif family did not face exile. "The people of the country have given their verdict in the elections against Musharraf and he should vacate the presidency as soon as possible," he said, adding the president was the killer of innocent students of Jamia Hafsa.

He said the political forces were not against the judiciary but were against the PCO judges; they were not against the army but dictators like Pervez Musharraf. He said the man behind the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was also a dictator. Musharraf should remember that his days were numbered, he added. He said Nawaz Sharif had been elected twice as the prime minister of the country. The decision of the PCO judges aimed at pleasing a dictator, he said.

Rana Shaukat of PML-Q forward bloc, Saeed Akbar Niwani,. Khawaja Abdus Salaam and about 27 other members took part in the discussion and strongly condemned the High Court verdict. The members also demanded withdrawal of security and protocol provided to the PCO judges. The legislators also proposed that demonstrations should be staged outside the chambers of the PCO judges. Those took part in the discussion included Syed Nazim Hussain Shah, Chaudhary Allah Rakha, Ghazala Saad Rafique, Tariq Ameen Matiana, Naveed Iqbal Sajid, Mayeza Hameed, Moeen Wattoo, Jehanzaib Waren, Shumaila Aslam, Asif Manzoor Mohal, Rana Tajammal Hussain, Amer Joel Sahotra, Riffat Jahan, Shamsa Gohar and Kamran Michael.