ISLAMABAD, Jan 20: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has warned against disqualification of its top leaders from contesting elections, saying neither the people nor the party will accept any such judgment handed in by PCO judges.

A controversial decision at this time would mean another judicial crisis and chaos in the country and the responsibility would lie with the government, PML-N’s central information secretary Ahsan Iqbal told reporters after a parliamentary party meeting here on Tueday.

The meeting was presided over by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. PML-N President and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was scheduled to preside over the meeting, but his flight could not take off from Lahore because of a technical fault in the plane.

Mr Iqbal said those who were not accepted by the people as legitimate judges had no right to decide about qualification of popular leaders. He said the judges who had validated Gen Pervez Musharraf’s unconstitutional rule could not hear the case against the people who had a record of opposing and rejecting the same.

He said the PPP had promised to repeal the controversial 17th Amendment and it should fulfil the promise by working together with the PML-N on the issue.

He said the bill to repeal the 17th amendment prepared by the PML-N was in line with the Charter of Democracy signed both by both the parties.

“We would be delighted if the PPP scraps the 17th Amendment with us.”

Mr Iqbal said the party meeting reviewed the overall political situation in the country and expressed concern over sky-rocketing prices of food, fertiliser and energy crisis.

Answring a question, Mr Iqbal rejected a perception that his party wanted to repeal the 17th Amendment because it was a hurdle in the way of Mr Sharif becoming prime minister for a third term, and said that Mr Sharif was not a member of the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, PML-N sources told Dawn that a meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee had been convened on Jan 27. The meeting to be presided over by Mr Sharif, he said, would review the political situation and work out a plan for active participation in lawyers’ march on March 9.

It would also discuss a plan of action if the government did not repeal the 17th Amendment.