PESHAWAR, April 26: Pakistan People’s Party on Thursday announced to agitate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the prime minister’s conviction by the Supreme Court for contempt today (Friday), while its ally, Awami National Party (ANP), put its weight behind Yousaf Raza Gilani after questioning the suitability of the award of the sentence under current circumstances.

During a meeting in the provincial capital, PPP decided to hold a rally on the main GT Road in Hashtnagri against the court verdict, according to party’s provincial information secretary Ayub Shah.

Mr Shah told Dawn that PPP workers would took out the rally in the capital after 3pm, while similar rallies would be held across the province to show anger at the prime minister’s conviction, which, according to him, was against democracy. He said whenever PPP came to power, decisions against it were issued.

Meanwhile, former PPP provincial president and health minister Zahir Ali Shah said the prime minister had a right to appeal against his conviction, which was against the people’s expectations.

In a statement, he asked PPP workers to remain peaceful and face the challenge bravery like the past. He criticised Nawaz Sharif’s statement against the prime minister and said the PML-N leader was taking undue political advantage of the current situation.

In a statement, ANP leader and senior provincial minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour said the prime minister’s conviction was an ‘unsuitable’ decision, which came at a time when the country was passing through the most crucial phase of its history.

He said the prime minister’s conviction would lead to higher uncertainty in the country as on one hand, the gulf between Pakistan and the US was fast growing and on the other, the military faced complicated situation on borders.

Mr Bilour said the country’s economic conditions were unsatisfactory and that it faced external and internal challenges mainly due to terrorism. He said civil cases had been pending with the courts for decades but ironically, the verdict against the prime minister had been given very speedily.

Mr Bilour said the prime minister used his constitutional rights to defend himself before the court in the contempt case. He urged President Asif Zardari to name Musa Gilani, son of Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister to ensure supremacy of parliament.The minister said both ANP and PPP had come to power simultaneously and that his party supported the prime minister until last. He said people had a right to give opinion about courts and their decisions as accountability and self-accountability made the major part of democracy.

He said in the past, judges took oath of the office on provisional constitutional order and strengthened military governments in the country. He said the Supreme Court awarded death sentence to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a murder case and acquitted another prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the plane hijacking case and that its bias was also evident from its conduct on the Asghar Khan case regarding the alleged distribution of funds by ISI to politicians during the 1990 general elections.

“If the court took nine years to begin hearing into the Nawaz Sharif case, then why verdict in this particular case has been announced in such a hurry,” he asked.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Zia provincial leaders Haji Ihsanullah, Murad Sherpao, Misbahullah and others welcomed the Supreme Court decision and said those criticising the court committed contempt of court like the prime minister and deserved punishment.

He asked the corrupt rulers to step down without delay and announce the holding of fresh elections in the country so that the people elect their representatives afresh.

Mr Ihsanullah said corruption was rife in government and semi-government departments, while inflation, unemployment and lawlessness was appeared beyond the government’s control to the misery of common man.

Likewise, Pakhtun Awareness Movement (PAM) has welcomed the prime minister’s conviction for contempt of court and said only PPP leadership was to blame for the current crisis in the country.

In a joint statement, PAM leaders Shakeel Wahidullah Khan and Faridoon Khan said PPP had been in the habit of picking up fights with judiciary after coming to power.

They said major national institutions, including PIA, Steel Mills and Pakistan Railways, were on the verge of bankruptcy due to increasing corruption and wrong policies of the government.

Mr Shakeel and Faridoon said nationalists and progressive people would soon convene a joint meeting in Peshawar to decide their future course of action to protect democracy.