LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who had so far been exercising restraint against the Sharifs, launched on Sunday a direct assault on the PML-N leadership, saying the party was taking an unconstitutional route and humiliating the parliament by holding rallies against the country’s elected President Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr Gilani advised Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif not to take actions that would isolate the province politically.

Talking to journalists at the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi where he had gone to greet the PML-Q leaders on the acquittal of Moonis Elahi in the NICL case, he said: “Holding of ‘go Zardari, go’ rallies is unconstitutional and a bid to disgrace parliament as Mr Zardari is an elected president.”

He wondered why the opposition PML-N was taking “an unconstitutional route” when constitutional options were available (to pursue their agenda). “The PML-N should exhibit political maturity. The party is following an undemocratic and unconstitutional way against an elected president and if they are trying to warm up for elections then it is too early to do so,” he said.

The prime minister then himself explained what he said were the reasons behind the Sharifs’ policy, saying: “Nawaz Sharif is under tremendous pressure from (PTI chief) Imran Khan’s growing popularity in Punjab.”

He predicted that the PML-N would have to face a direct threat from Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf in Punjab in the coming elections and advised the party ruling the province to “concentrate on serving the masses by improving its performance as people are sick of politics of confrontation and agitation”.

He advised Mr Shahbaz to bring Punjab back in the mainstream politics, saying that the chief minister’s actions were isolating the province politically.

Referring to a recent statement by the chief minister accusing the federal government of indulging in corrupt practices, the premier said Mr Shahbaz was merely tarnishing the image of his own community by hurling such allegations and warned that others could also level similar allegations against him.

He said that Shahbaz Sharif’s statement was unconstitutional because the Sharifs had publicly promised that for the sake of democracy they would not resort to unconstitutional ways.

He said the PML-N should respect the mandate of other parties, like the PPP which had never tried to topple the PML-N government in Punjab.