LAHORE: Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique on Sunday continued his tirade against the PTI and said there shouldn’t be a “populist decision” (in Panama Papers case).

“We respect the judiciary irrespective of whether decisions come against us or in our favour. No one should take populist decisions; be it government or other institutions. Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry used to take populist decisions. He was tagged a saviour of the country but where he is today. He should have given right decision in his son Dr Arsalan and EOBI cases,” he said while addressing the party workers in Walton here. He said a decision always came from the ballot and not from “judicial and executive order”.

In an indirect reference to the establishment, he said: “Those who do not like our faces want a Pakistan of their choice. But Pakistan will be run by the vote of the people. During local body elections we even won in cantonments.”

As the joint investigation team’s probe into offshore holdings of the Sharif family is near completion (July 10), the PML-N has upped the ante reminding both its opponents and the establishment that it may not accept any adverse verdict in the Panama Papers case against the premier.

Believing that the “stolen” Panama Papers surfaced when PTI’s Islamabad sit-in failed, the minister said: “No one has taken the Panama Papers seriously in the world except here. The prime minister has been made to face accountability. Why there is only accountability of the premier. What is the crime of Nawaz Sharif...he does not bow and not let the country down,” he thundered.

The JIT was even working on Sundays and Eid days and it summoned daughters (a reference to PM’s daughter Maryam Nawaz).

The minister further said whosoever would work out of the ambit of the Constitution, it would be harmful for the country. He said there should be as much respect for parliament and politicians as there was for the armed forces and the judiciary.

Admitting that the PML-N was launched by a martial law regime, he said it learnt gradually. “It is the political parties that unite a country. If trust is lost on ballot, there will be anarchy in the country. Pakistan should be saved from becoming Syria, Egypt and Yemen. We should remain in the ambit of the Constitution,” he said.

“Khan Sahib if you manage to come to power somehow, who will allow you to complete your tenure,” he warned the PTI chief. He also criticised PPP chairman Asif Ali Zardari for “speaking the language of Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid.” He said the assasination of Benzir Bhutto was a bigger loss for the PML-N as it created a leadership vacuum.

As for Raymond Davis episode, the minister said: “Beggars cant’ be choosers. We will have to be economically strong if we do not want to repeat any such episode in the future,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2017