Members of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) Shah Mahmood Qureshi and the PPP's Khursheed Shah in a meeting on Tuesday decided to push for the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and exert pressure on the National Assembly in this regard, a day after a damning report submitted by the Supreme Court-sanctioned joint investigation team (JIT) probing the Sharif family's wealth left the ruling family reeling.
Qureshi, while speaking to reporters after his meeting with the senior politician, said both parties had agreed to submit a signed requisition to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq asking him to call a session of parliament.
"The purpose of the requisition is to remind Nawaz Sharif of the promise he made to the country on the floor of the House last year," Qureshi said, recalling the PM's speech in the NA following the Panama Papers leaks last year, in which, according to the PTI leader, the PM promised to "resign without wasting a moment if any evidence was found against him in the investigations [into the Panama Papers leaks]."
"That moment has now arrived," he added.
The PM in his speech before the NA made no mention of resigning from his position if found guilty. He did, however, make this statement during a televised address to the nation.
Read more: I will resign if proven guilty, vows PM
He said that the two leaders had agreed to contact other opposition parties regarding the matter, adding that he had spoken to MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar earlier today.
The PTI's chief whip in the NA Shireen Mazari and the party's information secretary Shafqat Mehmood were also present during the meeting.
The opposition had on Monday reiterated their calls for the prime minister to step down after the JIT told the SC that Nawaz Sharif and his children had accumulated wealth beyond their known sources of income.
The JIT’s damning report, spread over 10 volumes, declared that the prime minister's sons ─ Hussain and Hassan Nawaz ─ were used as proxies to build family assets.
The report also highlighted the 'irregular movement' of large amounts from the Sharif family's companies in the UK, UAE and Saudi Arabia to the prime minister, his sons and the family's Pakistan-based companies.
After the JIT submitted its report to the SC, the court adjourned the hearing till July 17.
