HYDERABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Hyderabad leader Usman Kennedy has appealed to the Supreme Court and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to turn their attention now to the scandals of ‘mega corruption’ by Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman and former president of the country Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr Kennedy said at a press conference at the press club here on Sunday that the Supreme Court and NAB must not stop the accountability process at the disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family, and wage an all-out war against all corrupt elements of society.

“Despite the fact that Mr Sharif is a thief and a liar, he is trying to portray himself to be an innocent man in front of nation. If law does not go immediately after Zardari, Sharif will be successful in making people believe his innocent act,” he said.

He said that both Mr Sharif and Mr Zardari had pocketed billions of rupees of public money during their time in government and believed if articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution were implemented in letter and spirit, no ‘corrupt’ legislator would able to be find a place in the parliament.

Mr Kennedy praised chief justice of Supreme Court and PTI chairman Imran Khan for bringing the Panama Papers case to its logical end and appealed to PTI chief to visit districts and towns of Sindh to drum up support for his anti-corrupt drive.

He said that people of Hyderabad, which was a gateway to Sindh, had been waiting for Mr Khan for a long time and announced that PTI Hyderabad would celebrate Nawaz’s disqualification at Hirabad on Friday night.

Nationalist, religious parties in unison on Sharif’s disqualification

Leaders of nationalist and religious parties have praised in unison the Supreme Court verdict on disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and demanded ‘ruthless’ accountability of all corrupt politicians, military and civil bureaucracy.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (Noorani) chief Dr Sahibzada Abul Khair Moha­mmad Zubair said at a press conference at the press club on Saturday that all corrupt elements should learn a lesson from the premier’s ‘disgraceful’ end.

He praised the apex court decision and said the former prime minister wasted the nation’s time and took many wrong decisions which finally caused his downfall.

The former prime minister should be brought to justice on charges of Model Town police action in Lahore in which innocent people were gunned down, he said.

He called for making public the Model Town carnage report prepared by a judge and said that all corrupt rulers, parliamentarians and bureaucrats were trembling in fear of Article 62 of the Constitution.

Sindh United Party (SUP) acting president Syed Zain Shah also lauded the apex court verdict disqualifying a sitting premier and demanded that ruthless accountability should be carried out of all corrupt leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party who had pocketed billions of rupees of public funds in Sindh and unscrupulous civil and military bureaucrats.

He said at a press conference at the press club after presiding over a meeting of his party’s central executive body that SUP would stage a big rally against rampant corruption in the province on Aug 20 in Karachi.

He said that on the pattern of the apex committee which was formed to control lawlessness and restore peace, another committee should be formed to take action against all corrupt PPP leaders, politicians, military and civil bureaucrats and judges.

Mr Shah said that SUP believed the corrupt should be awarded exemplary punishment and action be taken against corruption without discrimination and across the board.

He appealed to the Supreme Court, Sindh High Court and National Accountability Bureau to constitute a joint investigation team to probe charges of corruption against ministers, advisers, office-bearers of PPP who had “pocketed billions of rupees of public funds” over the past nine years and pushed the province to the verge of collapse.

He said that they ought to be punished for their wrongdoings without further delay. PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Dr Asim Hussain, Manzoor Kaka and others should be brought to justice immediately, he said.

He said that large tracts of precious land in Sindh were sold off at cheap price to land mafia for mega housing projects like Bahria Town, Zulfikar­abad, Defence Housing Society and demanded probe into such murky deals.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2017