The political leaders belonging to different parties including PML-N, PPP-P, ANP and ARD components have flayed the government for not allowing the Sharif family particularly former premier Mian Nawaz Sharif and ex-chief minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif to participate in the funeral of their father Mian Muhammad Sharif.
Among the prominent leaders who condemned the government included PML-N's Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Saranjam Khan, Ch. Nisar Ali Khan, Pervaiz Malik, Pir Sabir Shah, Inamullah Niazi, Zaeem Qadri, Mohammed Mehdi, Tariq Gill, ANP's Asfand Yar Wali, PPP-P's Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Qasim Zia, Ghulam Mustafa Khar, former NA speaker Elahi Bux Soomro, Mian Muhammad Azhar, former president Rafiq Tarar etc.
Talking to newsmen on the occasion of Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza of Mian Sharif at Data Darbar Mosque here on Monday, they lamented that on such an occasion it was the tradition of Muslims that even biggest enemy is tolerated and forgiven.
They were unanimous of the view that not allowing the Sharif family to attend the funeral was big excess on the part of the government.
ARD Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that the dictators have always exhibited least respect of human and public feelings, vibes and they take arbitrary decisions and keep popular leadership abroad. He said the military rulers earlier buried Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the darkness and did not allow his family to participate in the funeral.
Former president Rafiq Tarar said that even Israeli Premier Sharon had allowed his chief foe Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat to enter and live the occupied territory but the present military rulers were even more wicked who did not permit the Sharif family members to attend the funeral of their elder.
PML-N Information Secretary Siddiq-ul-Farooq said the rulers were void of any moral, social and cultural values while they had least concerned with the legal matters and were afraid of the popularity of PML-N leadership, that's why they did not allow them to attend the funeral of Mian Sharif.
The bankruptcy of the rulers could be gauged by the fact they did not allow the Sharif family to offer Namaz-e-Janaza of Mian Sharif at Data Darbar Mosque, where people from across the province participated, he said.