Over a dozen provincial lawmakers of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Thursday staged a sit-in hunger protest against its own government, accusing it of not implementing the Supreme Court's verdict in the Asghar Khan case. They pedged to continue the protest at the Sindh Assembly's entrance till their own government assured them that the court's decision will be implemented.
Shamim Ara Panhwar, who fell ill soon after the start of the protest, was rushed to hospital for treatment. The agitators included Imran Zafar Laghari, Imdad Pitafi, Dr Sikandar Shoro, Ghalib Domki, Shamim Ara Panhwar, Farzana Baloch, Shama Mithani and Kulsoom Chandio.
They were calling for disqualifying chief PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif from electoral race. They said IJI had been formed "to steal the (1990) elections". They said the money spent during the 1990 polls against the PPP should be retrieved from all political parties which were part of the IJI coalition and politicians found involved in the anti-democratic move should be held accountable. Speaker of the Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto and other lawmakers joined the protest to express solidarity with the protesting legislators.
The protestors also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the federal government to assure them regarding full implementation of the Supreme Court ruling in the Asghar Khan case. The Supreme Court had ruled on the Asghar Khan case nearly six months ago, but the verdict still remained to be implemented. Sindh lawmakers of the ruling PPP also staged a walkout from the house the other day in protest against the non-implementation of the apex court's decision in this regard.