Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Tuesday said that Article 6 of Constitution should be applied on former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for "ridiculing" the apex court's verdict in Panama Papers case. Speaking at a presser after presiding over a meeting of the party's Central Executive Committee, he said that Sharif who has been disqualified in graft cases, is now bent upon ridiculing the top court of the country by traveling to Lahore via GT Road at the taxpayers' expense.
"What he wants to prove by traveling to Lahore in the convoy of a paid crowd? If he [Sharif] thinks he can escape corruption references against him in NAB (National Accountability Bureau], he is wrong," he added. He said that Sharif should know that no NRO is going to come so any effort to bring out people on roads through patwaris (revenue officials) and deputy commissioners is not going to work this time around, and the place which awaits him now is Adiala Jail.
He warned the government to stop use of state machinery to facilitate a man who has already been disqualified by the court. He also asked Sharif's "cronies" to stop pretending as if people are standing by Nawaz Sharif. "I would like to tell these darbaris (courtiers) that no power of the world can save Nawaz Sharif now, as he is gone forever," he said about Sharif's departure to Lahore via GT Road after his disqualification.
He alleged that the Sharifs are afraid of National Accountability Bureau, and these tactics to pressure investigating agencies, which are set to investigate their corruption, will not serve any purpose. He warned that any attempt to intimidate state institution will force the PTI to take to the streets.
Imran added that the entire PML-N is busy trying to save one family instead of parting ways with it. "The people associated with PML-N had a golden opportunity to dissociate themselves with Sharifs, but they lost a golden chance," he regretted.
Earlier, the Central Executive Committee of PTI passed a unanimous resolution condemning the alleged character assassination campaign against party chairman through Gulalai type characters. The party declared the malicious campaign as 'gutter politics.'
The CEC also rejected the parliamentary committee formed by the government to investigate Gulalai's allegations against Imran Khan, saying there should be an impartial parliamentary commission to probe such allegations.
Through another resolution, the CEC strongly condemned the PML-N attempt to malign and undermine state institutions. It demanded Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to immediately de-notify Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president as he has been disqualified by the apex court.
In yet another resolution, the PTI CEC reiterated party's demand for electoral reforms and demanded voting rights to overseas Pakistanis; reconstitution of ECP as the present one has lost its credibility; introduction of biometric system in 2018 elections; and formation of a caretaker setup through consultation with opposition and government through a parliamentary committee comprising equal number of opposition and treasury representatives proportionate to party positions.