Lawyers threaten countrywide movement if 'PM does not step down in 7 days'
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The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have threatened to launched a countrywide movement calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif if the premier does not step down in seven days.
Both bar associations are of the view that in light of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Panama Papers case, the prime minister should no longer hold the position and should therefore resign, a joint notification issued by the two bar associations said.
The notification from the two bodies came soon after SCBA and LHCBA members clashed with lawyers supporting the ruling Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) government at the all Pakistan lawyers’ representatives convention on Saturday.
The convention was called to reiterate the lawyers' demand for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's resignation in wake of the Panama case verdict and also discuss the role of the bar associations in this regard.
Read more: What next for Nawaz?
Saturday's clash between the two sides began as members from the PML-N's Lawyers Wing tried to prevent members of the SCBA and LHCBA from reaching the convention stage and starting its proceedings.
As the clash went on, pro-PML-N lawyers took SCBA president Rasheed A. Rizvi to a library on the premises and locked him in. Rizvi was later freed when the locks were broken by SCBA members.
Speaking to media representatives after he was taken out of the library, Rizvi, who was accompanied by Secretary SCBA Aftab Bajwa and LHCBA President Zulfiqar Chaudhry, asserted that the convention would be held under any circumstances.
The PML-N’s Lawyers Wing representatives said the Panama Papers case was still sub judice and that was why demands for the prime minister’s resignation at this point were not appropriate.
They further stated that representatives of the LHCBA and SCBA did not represent any real movement and were in fact acting on behalf of certain political parties.
More on this: Lawyers’ warning
Earlier in April, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) had given a similar ultimatum to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The bar association had asked the premier to resign within a week, or face a lawyers' movement bigger than the one that followed ex-chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's ouster.
The latest demand from lawyers' bodies comes weeks after the Panama Papers case verdict which directed that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) be instituted to investigate the prime minister and his sons for alleged corruption.
The legal fraternity in Pakistan has flexed its muscles back in 2007, when ex-president Pervez Musharraf ousted the then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The lawyers' movement that followed, gained enough momentum to result in the reinstatement of the deposed judiciary.
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (86) Closed
May 20, 2017 02:35pm
It is an another 'sheer waste of time' because few lawyers cannot be allowed to represent the whole nation...
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May 20, 2017 02:40pm
This is what pakistani people wanted that if prime minister is involved in corruption,he must be stepdown until he prove him self innocent. Every one knows that free and fare investigation is impossible against nawaz shareef in his prime ministry...if he stepdown then it will definitly streghten the democracy
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May 20, 2017 02:50pm
Innocent until proven guilty
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May 20, 2017 02:52pm
Lawyers know very well about Panama leaks scandal. Nawaz sadly has to go 10 times plus tried/failed at fed/provincial level results=Pak 3rd world nation. Sorry Zardari/Nawaz have to go. No more Kiddos either, it's a nation not a family game of taking numbers, millions of people are suffering due to lack to political will. We must stop this from happening before Pak population becomes over 400 million in few decades!
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May 20, 2017 02:53pm
Whatever your thought process maybe but the Lawyers do have a valid point; any sane PM would himself resign till the investigations are complete, if he has nothing to hide, step down sunshine or else face the movement!!
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May 20, 2017 02:59pm
@Jaba jaba agree but it's not about sanity but greed
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May 20, 2017 03:10pm
Well done lawyers. Pakistani nation is thankful. Keep it up.
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May 20, 2017 03:11pm
Really, why now - why didn't they raised their voice after the Panama case verdict - Delayed tactics most probably to sabotage the JIT process.
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May 20, 2017 03:13pm
Good idea but bad timings....
Won't work as the Month of Ramzan is starting in 7-8 days.
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May 20, 2017 03:13pm
Blame PTI for protest culture.
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May 20, 2017 03:17pm
@Kk All the other world leaders whose names were revealed in Panama Papers have resigned..
The were not proved guilty.. but still on moral grounds they resigned. Our leaders are greedy and power hungry...
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May 20, 2017 03:27pm
@Sk ... Because there is no blame game in those nations and opposition politicians are not just alleging. Our politicians are still far away from that level of maturity and therefore their main political tactic is to give baseless and unsupported allegations only....
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May 20, 2017 03:41pm
Still Pakistanis are not sincere with their society. Try yourself to waste the time because nothing to do some constructive works.
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May 20, 2017 03:45pm
Why did lawyers not join hands with Imran to oust PM Nawaz? I think Imran is more powerful and has much more masses with him than lawyers but if the two are welded together then only may be PM Nawaz bulges a bit, though I doubt, but lawyers alone may not succeed I opine. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi4merdiplomat@hotmail.com
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May 20, 2017 03:52pm
@Khan lala allegation were made by ICIJ across the globe, ur facts are incorrect
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May 20, 2017 03:52pm
Resignation is a must for the JIT to do its job independently and freely
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May 20, 2017 03:54pm
@Kk Disagree.......In this case he and his family have accepted ownership of the expensive London properties .....as such the guilt has been admitted, he now has to prove his innocence in how he obtained and shifted the money to acquire the properties.
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May 20, 2017 03:54pm
@bossman remeber load shedding protests in punjab 5 yrs ago?
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May 20, 2017 03:55pm
Why only lawyers do these protests and all in Pakistan. Why not Doctors, Teachers, Sportsmen?
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May 20, 2017 03:57pm
Everyone saying Nawaz has to go but no one is answering who will come then? Problem is not that Nawaz is corrupt, actually institution is weak than cannot handle corrupt people. That's why focus on building institution rather chanting slogan that ultimately weaken the institution itself.
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May 20, 2017 03:58pm
@Z lodhi ... ICIJ report gave any source of income or money trails of the owners...that the important point...
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May 20, 2017 03:59pm
Any group of people, no matter how small, getting together to remove the PM can only be good news. Perhaps this will make Nawaz Sharif think again.
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May 20, 2017 04:03pm
@Khan lala don't twist you said allegations not going to a court and prove. ICIJ did this story, leaked documents journalists from many countries were part of it for a year and no one in the world really has challenged their report
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May 20, 2017 04:03pm
What a silly joke?
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May 20, 2017 04:04pm
@Sk
Precisely. Otherwise the same notion should be applicable to thousands others behind bars currently facing trials. Or are they behind bars because they come from poor sections of the society?
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May 20, 2017 04:04pm
Lawyers do not have a bigger right to demand anything than any other citizen of the country. Rest of the country is content with letting the JIT process continue. The lawyers should follow the advice of the court themselves.
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May 20, 2017 04:07pm
@Khan lala
Any and every movement starts as a minority. And the elitists initially counter them by saying exactly what you have said.
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May 20, 2017 04:07pm
@My COMMENT but letting them have their say is what is called democracy
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May 20, 2017 04:11pm
@Khan lala funny enough even owners of thise properties could not give any source of income or money trail.
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May 20, 2017 04:11pm
This interference in the democratic process of Pakistan by lawyers is illegal
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May 20, 2017 04:13pm
It should not be a hollow notice, stand by your commitment, Nawaz Sharif & Co is becoming a real concern. Business relationship and action necessary to deal with India's aggression against Pakistan & Kashmiris cannot go together.
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May 20, 2017 04:19pm
I am not a fan of PMLN. However, it is a Democratically elected Govt. They were elected by the Citizens of Pakistan and the citizens also have the power to replace them. This lawyers issuing ultimatums is wrong and undemocratic.
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May 20, 2017 04:19pm
@Anil Kumar protest within parameters is part of drmocracy my friend
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May 20, 2017 04:22pm
@farhan khan haha... you live in your own little world don't you?
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May 20, 2017 04:25pm
After the SC judgement that PM has a case to answer it was proper for PM to resign on its own like in civilized societies. Now the war is on and we have to wait for the outcome.
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May 20, 2017 04:27pm
True democracy is calling snap elections like Theresa May did in the U.K. It is not completing 5 years by hook or crook as zardari did.
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May 20, 2017 04:34pm
@Farooq Jawed Sir PM is now an accused person, incidentally he himself used to ask Gillani to step down while investigation were underway, their govt shd stay but PM shd step down. Even during internal inquiries of a govt dept., accused officer remains suspended till inquiry is complete.
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May 20, 2017 04:36pm
The Judges who gave the verdict said they never ordered PM to step down. On what legal grounds are these lawyers demanding resignation then ? What a joke.
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May 20, 2017 04:39pm
@Anil Kumar: What do you think about killing of hundreds of innocent peoples demonstrating against state terrorism in Indian Held Kashmir.
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May 20, 2017 04:45pm
good omen for pakistan finally pakistan democracy is maturing as protest only happen in matured democracy.all the best to pakistan and thank you nawaz
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May 20, 2017 04:47pm
@bossman in democratic system every one has the right to protest against legitimate demand and PM should step down on moral ground which he does not seem to posses nor does his supporters. Irish and Malta president resigned and they did not wait for any verdict or prove.
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May 20, 2017 04:49pm
There is nether any justification nor a deed of fairness for Nawaz Sharif to continue as PM. The SC has constituted directed a high powered investigation against Nawaz Sharif & Family to dig out the volume of corruption and its trail & not whether he did corruption or not, under this scenario how can he continue to be a PM responsible to receive the final findings of this JIT against himself. It's so illogical and far below fair dignity norms.
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May 20, 2017 05:00pm
This is truly unprecedented for Lawyers to take such a bold unified step in making this announcement.They have clearly given the message to PM Nawaz Sharif that what he is
doing is abominable by not respecting the Law of Pakistan vis a vis Panama Issue.Are the
Lawyers demonstrating to the world that Pakistan is truly a democratic country?
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May 20, 2017 05:09pm
In an autocratic country the power lies within one person. In order to change the status quo, the entire country needs to be mobilised. Unfortunately to mobilised four countries with in one is next to impossible...besides if institutions are not interested just forget it..
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May 20, 2017 05:10pm
without change in culture, corruption will remain who ever comes to power. by removing Nawaz you will not be able to eliminate corruption, but will be able to create instability and therefore more power to Army. advisable is to bear him for full term and take action, under next PM.
Corruption can be eliminated only by stable democracy. Pakistan should ask for stable democracy before anything else.
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May 20, 2017 05:16pm
@suraj ... One step at a time.
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May 20, 2017 05:21pm
Did not this group of vigilantes give notice of Dharna if PM did not resign within 7 days? And that was more 2 weeks ago.
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May 20, 2017 05:22pm
How SCBA and LHCBA will succeed in 07 day what IK and QADRI couldn't do in last four and half years. Let them to test their muscles,
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May 20, 2017 05:29pm
In case the PM resigns, then, who would be his substitute? All the existing Pakistani politicians are the eggs of the same basket.
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May 20, 2017 05:48pm
The Supreme Court (SC), in its 3-2 verdict of the Panama Papers case last month, did not declare the Prime Minister guilty. The SC instead directed that a Joint Investigation team (JIT) be formed to investigate the PM and his sons for alleged corruption. The JIT has been formed. It has started its work. It will be reporting progress directly to the Supreme Court appointed bench every two weeks. The SC has given JIT sixty days to complete its work.
With the JIT work in progress, under the SC directions, it makes no sense for the lawyers to demand the PM to resign. Why can’t our lawyers’ community let the legal process take its due course?
If the legal decision, so taken, is not implemented, only then, it would make sense for the lawyers community to launch a movement to demand the implementation of “THE COURT DECSISION.”
This is my common sense view. Pardon me if I do not understand the law correctly or sufficiently. I am not a lawyer.
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May 20, 2017 05:57pm
Anyone and everyone seems to want to hijack Pakistans politics with threats and violence.
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May 20, 2017 06:30pm
Sheriff family, Khan family, Bhutto family all settled in London.. Old men come to Pakistan because that's where they find things to sell to their Western masters.
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May 20, 2017 06:43pm
Please stick to being lawyers.
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May 20, 2017 06:46pm
7 days is too long, 3 days is more appropriate.
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May 20, 2017 06:56pm
Lawyers cant see developement.
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May 20, 2017 06:57pm
What a shame. The one educated institution is not following their own Supreme Courts guidelines. If the legal minds wanted prime minister to step down then Supreme Court should have asked. This idea of corruption is embedded in our minds. Please change laws not individuals. Have a long march to change a law that will catch these thieves.
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May 20, 2017 06:58pm
Nawaz Sharif is the best pm ever please let him complete his term.
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May 20, 2017 07:04pm
If he steps down, is there anyone actually good enough right now to lead righteously?
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May 20, 2017 07:30pm
@Concerned lead righteaously? So you think he is doing right maybe you are among pmln fan or cant see corruption.
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May 20, 2017 07:33pm
How original. Lawyers doing something sensible and worthwhile for a change.
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May 20, 2017 07:40pm
@Muhammad zafar iqbal
That is like saying 'how could nawaz Sharif succeed in brining about good governance and rooting out corruption when no one could do it in almost 70 years'. Such movements are an integral part of democracy and keep those in power in check. Otherwise there is no difference between a democracy and dictatorship.
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May 20, 2017 07:41pm
Common people should also join the movement.
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May 20, 2017 07:54pm
@Concerned
A good question indeed!
Now answer this. It is pretty obvious who the heir apparent is. Is there no one else in a population of 200 million plus who could take the reins of power from the PM once he retires or is no more?
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May 20, 2017 07:55pm
The timing is not feasible for this demand. PM resignation will cause chaos and destability in Pakistan. Acknowledge that PML-N is at least running the country may it not be perfect.
CPEC demands stability and calm in Pakistan. Sincerely
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May 20, 2017 08:13pm
I'm Pakistani living in US.
My head is bowed down in shame what's happening in country.
Safety, law and order, relation with other countries and image in the world has gone down so much
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May 20, 2017 08:41pm
The nerve! This is our future if things do not change. They minions of the corrupt are everywhere and will lock you up in libraries or prisons so that saner voices can be silenced.
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May 20, 2017 08:43pm
@A.M. Khawar Sir ur opinion well respected but I guess its a moral issue and also in our country can we expect govt officers to probe aitying PM?
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May 20, 2017 08:47pm
@Farooq Jawed MQM wins in Karachi too. Are they democratically elected? Dont pin this on us if the corrupt wont guarantee fair electoral process.
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May 20, 2017 08:48pm
@Princess_of_DHUMP 65 recommendations on his comment. Its the popular view and denial wont help.
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May 20, 2017 09:08pm
@Ahsan gul
I completely agree that CPEC needs stability and calm. But another vital ingredient required for its successful outcome is 'accountability'. Unless corruption is checked, newly emerging businesses set up around CPEC will become part of shadow economy not paying their dues just like an overwhelming majority in Pakistan. And the best way to check corruption is accountability starting from the top. This will send a very clear message to the rest of population. Otherwise you may hope for CPEC part II in 2050 to take Pakistan out of poverty.
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May 20, 2017 09:28pm
@yasir Sir, with respect, Law and order vastly improved in Karachi, Altaf Hussain speeches banned, terrorists kicked out of north waziristan, metro bus services for poor people in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan, 16 new power stations coming up, motorways throughout Pakistan providing jobs, New locomotives in railways, free medical to many poor communities, better policing, new modern airport in Islamabad, all in 4 short years and we are media and press wants us to concentrate on what adult Main Shahib did in 1980's. That is not fair. Not a single corruption scandal has come to light in the last 4 years. Facts speak for themselves. Lets stop shooting ourselves in the foot.
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May 20, 2017 09:46pm
@the end is near - they should all resign from their posts and then protest as citizens not as professionals as that goes against ethics.
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May 20, 2017 10:05pm
IK wasted nations time and led to disaster of himself. Now PTI is being preicted to loose by their own beloved anchors. Same being lawyers, another waste of time. And on the basis of which they demand resignation? 3 have ruled in PM favour, so what now?
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May 20, 2017 10:14pm
A 12 - 9 decision by the bar association in favor of saving the prime minister meant Zilch. Nada. Nil. The country is divided and the lawyers are divided. Think we all know the reasons why.
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May 20, 2017 10:18pm
@Khan lala ... Using the 9-12 vote. We are not talking about a few lawyers. We are talking about a minority of 43% of lawyers who want Nawaz to go.
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May 20, 2017 10:32pm
It's very hard to unseat a corrupted Prime Minister in a corrupted country! If Nawaz Sharif was to resign?. He would have done a long time ago the day the panama affairs came to light.
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May 20, 2017 10:47pm
Panama papers verdict did not ask PM to step down.
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May 20, 2017 10:55pm
Didn't they threaten him couple months ago? or they blackmailing him for more money?
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May 21, 2017 12:07am
Breach of law, politics, violence, kidnapping, extortion. Some call a lawyer.
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May 21, 2017 02:45am
@Z lodi Sir. Thank you for your comment. I hear you. Forever, i have been wrestling with the interplay of morality and legality. The laws are made to implement the accepted standards of morality and fairness. The morality is supposed to be imbedded in the legal system. to the extent our legal system falls short, we need to strengthen it. It is only the court and the legal system that can declare a person in violation of "whatever." That is why, no where in the world moral courts parallel legal courts. Limited as it may be, I support the notion of "innocent until proven guilty." The SC 3-2 verdict has NOT declared the PM guilty. A PM can only be legally removed by loosing an election or by a court verdict. Rest is noise. Sorry the answer is long winded. I am just expressing my view point A Lodi Sir. I respect your right to have a different opinion.
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May 21, 2017 03:23am
Pmln Lawyers locked in Rizvi in library to stop proceedings?
What kind of democracy is this?
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May 21, 2017 04:32am
What is happening with the JIT? We all knew Nawaz will do his best to fool around the investigation.
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May 21, 2017 06:41am
Take law into own hands, that's not how democracies work or elect their leaders. Mob rule that's how we want to run our country again. Butto engineered election and subsequent protests followed by Zia martial Law, which caused our country to go slide back in every arena and we lost decades of progress. NS may be innocent or corrupt lets take law takes its course. Even if he is corrupt for an argument sake for few million/hundreds of millions bringing instability to our country will cause loss of billions to our economy. So please lets law takes its course or wait for the election so Nation can decide. So if you think he is corrupt then one have to work hard to convince the people so they won't vote for him. Think Zardari is the biggest crook Nation have booted him out, so brothers be peaceful but determine to do the right things. Our country comes first not our egos.
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May 21, 2017 07:10am
Nawaz should go and Zardari sahib should come.
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May 21, 2017 07:12am
Goons and thiefs on what moral grounds they ask accountability of others when they treat themselves above law
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May 21, 2017 09:30am
A good movement but late. All the best.
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