Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said he had no desire for the premiership and the whole civil society should announce boycott of January 8, 2008 elections.
He said this while addressing the workers of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) who held a demonstration outside Model Town residence of Nawaz Sharif to press the leadership of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) to announce boycott of general elections.
Dozens of workers of PTI including women also entered the residence of Nawaz Sharif amid slogans of 'Boycott.' The emotionally charged PTI activists urged the PML-N leader to announce boycott of the elections. Apart from PTI workers, lawyers and civil society people also thronged Nawaz Sharif's residence where the APDM meeting was arranged to take decision about either participation or boycotting the January polls.
Addressing these people, Nawaz said his party wants rolling back of all the steps taken by Pervez Musharraf on November 3 and revival of judiciary in November 2, position. When leaders of different component parties of the APDM including Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Imran Khan, Sajid Ali Naqvi, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq reached there, they rushed towards them and shouted slogans of 'Boycott.'
Representatives of the 19 parties participated in the APDM meeting. However, no representative from JUI (Fazl) turned up in the meeting, as it had announced boycott of the meeting.
Talking to reporters on arrival at Model Town, MMA leader and JI Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad said his party-Jamaat-e-Islami had given him mandate to take final decision in the APDM meeting about boycotting the polls. He said his party wants launching a national movement to press holding of free, fair and impartial elections under the supervision of an interim government of national consensus and an independent election commission. He demanded reinstatement of those judges who refused to take oath under PCO.
Leaders of other component parties of APDM including Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, Ghulam Bilour and Sajid Naqvi told newsmen that they wanted free and fair polls under the supervision of an independent election commission and would follow the decision of the APDM.