QUETTA: Workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz took out a procession here on Wednesday to express solidarity with deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Members of the Balochistan Assembly Asim Kurd, Samina Khan, Anita Irfan, and Jamal Shah Kakar along with the PML-N provincial general secretary Naseebullah Bazai and Deputy Mayor of Quetta Mohammad Younus Baloch spoke on the occasion.

They termed the ousting of an elected prime minister a “conspiracy” against democracy and its institutions, saying that it was the third time a premier and popular leader of the country had been removed from his office despite coming into power by a majority vote.

Samina Khan said Nawaz Sharif would again come into power through majority votes, adding that he had brought the country on the path of development and progress as he gave the gift of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to the people.

Echoing similar sentiments, Mr Kurd said Mr Sharif was ousted from the office of prime minister but no one could remove him from the hearts of the people of Pakistan. “Nawaz Sharif is our leader and will remain in our hearts forever,” he said.

PML-N leaders and workers from Balochistan would not hesitate to render any sacrifice for Mr Sharif and would continue to struggle for strengthening democracy and its institutions, the speakers said.

The leaders were of the view that the PML-N government, under the leadership of Mr Sharif, had brought the country out of an economic disaster it was facing in 2013, through its strong policies.

They said that all conspiracies against the PML-N and its leadership would be foiled through unity of the party workers.

Resolution against Imran

A condemnation resolution was submitted to the Balochistan Assembly against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Wednesday, a day after departing PTI lawmaker Ayesha Gulalai levelled harassment allegations against Mr Khan.

The resolution, forwarded by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl lawmaker Shahida Rauf, called for legal action against the PTI chief under the Women Protection Act and demanded that Mr Khan be disqualified from the party’s chairmanship.

Ms Rauf said in the resolution that Pakistani women had become insecure due to “unethical actions” of Mr Khan, who had committed inappropriate and un-Islamic acts and disrespected the honour of women.

The resolution also demanded that the PTI chief apologise to the nation in front of the media.

Meanwhile, Raja Basharat Mehmood, a lawyer from Rawalpindi, has filed a petition in the Election Commission of Pakistan seeking the PTI chairman’s disqualification on the basis of “shameful” allegations of harassment levelled against him by Ms Gulalai.

Separately, the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus of the National Assembly has also taken strong notice of the harassment allegations, and unanimously agreed that the issue calls for an unbiased, thorough and transparent investigation.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2017