PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra on Friday criticised the opposition parties for demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation in light of the Supreme Court judgment in Panamagate case.

He told a news conference at the Governor’s House that the judiciary gave a ‘balanced’ verdict in the larger interest of the nation.

“This is a very balanced judgment,” he said, adding that the opposition’s demand for the premier’s resignation was unreasonable.

“After the Supreme Court’s verdict, this is unfair to ask the prime minister to step down,” he said.

About the formation of a joint investigation team to further investigate the case, the governor said the prime minister himself had proposed to carry out investigations through the JIT.

He said some political parties were opposing the government for the sake of opposition.

“The reasonable protest is the fundamental right of political parties but they should also respect the judgment of the Supreme Court,” he said.

Mr Jhagra said the ‘dharna politics’ had already caused long delays in the completion of vital development projects and therefore, the country could no more afford such negative politics. Without naming names, he said some elements tried to create artificial crisis for the prime minister after the 2013 general elections but the latter showed political maturity to handle the attempt.

The governor claimed that terrorism had been eliminated from the country by 80 percent and that the so-called headquarters and command centres of terrorist outfits had been destroyed across the country.

He said after facing successful military operations, terrorists were attacking soft targets across the country.

“Fata is safer than settled areas of the country. The security situation will further improve there in future,” he said.

Mr Jhagra said the government would bring Fata to the mainstream besides developing it like other developed areas of the country.

He said Fata would see better security situation after the introduction of the border management system.

The governor defended the abolition of the National Testing Service tests for the appointments to the Civil Secretariat Fata and its attached bodies and said candidates from Fata couldn’t compete with their counterparts from the settled areas in the test.

‘IMRAN’S U-TURN’ FLAYED: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial president Amir Muqam has accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman of doing a U-turn over the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panamagate case saying Imran first celebrated the decision but later announced protest against it.

Addressing a public meeting in Chamkani area on the outskirts of Peshawar, the PML-N leader said the PTI chief did another U-turn as he after celebrating the Panamagate verdict announced to stage a protest rally in Islamabad.

“Imran Khan is a confused person,” he said.

Accompanied by party’s provincial general secretary Murtaza Jawed Abbasi and other leaders, Mr Muqam said it was ironic that all opposition parties had announced to accept the Supreme Court’s decision but changed their stand after the decision came against them.

He said the Supreme Court had taken the decision on the basis of the available documentary evidence and therefore, everyone should respect it.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2017