LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid senior leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has cautioned the Nawaz-government to ‘act fast’ on Panama Leaks and Model Town killing issues as it is heading towards a blind alley and may not find a way out at the end of the day.

“The N-League government is fast heading towards a blind alley over Panama Leaks and Model Town killing issues. It will be better for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to present himself and family members for accountability for his children’s offshore holdings without further wasting time,” he said.

Talking to Dawn here on Sunday, Pervaiz Elahi said the government was underestimating the opposition’s protest on Panama and Model Town tragedy.

Says government is underestimating protest movements

“The government is in a delusion that like 2014 it will get away this time too from the opposition’s protests and sit-ins. The government will have to act fast as it does not have much time to address the concerns of the opposition over Panamagate and Model Town,” Mr Elahi said.

PML-Q is part of the PTI-led Panamagate and Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s Model Town killing-specific movements. Although in the first round of protests the Chaudhrys of Gujrat did not participate in person, they had not ruled out their presence in the next round of agitation.

“Let the protest movements enter their decisive round... we will be on the forefront,” Mr Elahi said, adding if the premier was thinking that he would get away from Panama Leaks probe he was seriously mistaken.

The former deputy prime minister does not see that the government will now try to defuse the Panama issue by constituting an independent judicial commission after the accountability bill it is going to table in the National Assembly.

“I don’t see the government is mulling an option of constitution of an independent commission to probe the Panamagate any more. The government came up with its bill in Nation Assembly after the opposition presented its draft bill on accountability in Senate just to counter the opposition,” he said.

Pervaiz Elahi said another difference between the 2014 sit-in and the current protest drive was that of PPP.

“PPP has decided to join hands with opposition over Panamagate and Model Town killing. In fact, PPP sees its survival in siding with opposition,” he added.

Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri have threatened to march on Raiwind - residence of the Sharifs - after Eidul Azha (falling on Sept 13) for failing to get answers regarding the premier’s offshore holdings and justice in Model Town killings.

Earlier, talking to reporters at the wedding of daughter of former bureaucrat G. M. Sikandar here, Pervaiz Elahi said circumstances had changed for Nawaz Sharif and even his allies were not with him now.

Commenting on the premier’s announcement to establish 40 or so new hospitals, he said the government should first improve conditions of hospitals in Punjab where poor patients were neither getting medical facilities nor free medicines.

Published in Dawn September 5th, 2016