LAHORE: In a hint to the heat the ruling family is feeling from political rivals particularly the PTI on the demand for a transparent probe into Panama leaks, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif lambasted all those seeking the family’s accountability in his two public appearances here on Sunday.

“Whether one is a businessman, politician, bureaucrat or (army) general whosoever is involved in corruption will have to stand in the dock,” Shahbaz told a Labour Day function in Johar Town where he distributed Khidmat cards among children whose fathers work at brick kilns.

Later at Manawan, where he laid the foundation stone of a 100-bed health facility, he said (PTI chief) Imran Khan should take out a rally not against the government but the men named Jehangir Tareen and Aleem Khan flanking him (Imran) who had allegedly got loans written off and grabbed lands of the poor people.

“Our family has already announced appearing before the judicial commission. Now others whether they are businessmen, traders, politicians, bureaucrats or generals facing charges of corruption and/or amassing illegal wealth will also be made answerable as all have demanded accountability of all.”

Says Sharifs scions to appear before the commission

He said our children would appear before the commission and explain how they built their fortune.

“It’s time for indiscriminate accountability and the elite which got loans worth billions of rupees written off would not also be spared.”

Referring to objections on terms of reference (ToRs) of the proposed commission, he said those arguing that accountability of all would take time must know that it would take half an hour to get a list of the loan usurpers from the State Bank and decide the matter there and then.

He said the PTI rally was in fact against the land-grabbers and loan-usurpers present within the party (PTI) folds.

He advised Imran to look out for wrongdoers in PTI ranks as “you will get fatigued but Shahbaz Sharif will go to the last extent to recover the national wealth from loan usurpers”.

About PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s speech in Sindh, Mr Shahbaz said the child calling for resignation of the prime minister must know that corruption and plundering of national wealth was at its peak during the PPP rule when his (Bilawal’s) father was in power.

He warned that if details of a single corruption scandal of Bilawal’s father were made public, the child would have to take refuge in Larkana.

Meanwhile, the ruling PML-N on Sunday, perhaps encouraged by a `low attendance’ in the PTI’s rally on The Mall, threatened to break legs of those who would dare to besiege the Raiwind residence of the Sharifs.

“He who will try to lay a siege to Raiwind will get his legs broken,” Punjab government’s spokesman Zaeem Qadri said at a press conference held minutes after PTI chairman Imran Khan concluded his speech.

Mr Imran had repeated his threat of marching on Raiwind if the rulers did not meet the demand for a transparent probe into the Panama leaks, but postponed a decision on the march until Faisalabad rally of the party next Sunday.

Mr Qadri said the Lahorites rejected the call for protest by not participating in the PTI rally.

He also lamented that after Islamabad the women participants in the Lahore rally were also mistreated by the PTI activists.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016