RAWALPINDI: The PPP held a rally against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in front of Benazir Bhutto’s memorial in Liaquat Bagh on Sunday.

More than 400 party workers and supporters from various areas, including Dhoke Ratta, Dhoke Hassu and Raja Bazaar, gathered in the garrison city led by PPP City President Babar Jadoon.

PPP Divisional Coordinator Imran Ashraf, Nasir Mir, Mustafa Nawaz Khokar, Sumaira Gul and other party leaders also attended the rally.

Participants of the rally chanted slogans such as ‘Go Nawaz Go’, ‘Go Corrupt Mafia Go’ and ‘Long Live Bhutto’, and walked a short route from the Liaquat Bagh gates to the Liaquat Bagh square. The protest was the first in the city since the Panama Papers leaks, and was held on the call of party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to demand the resignation of Mr Sharif.

A separate rally was arranged on Peshawar Road by old PPP workers in the cantonment areas. the rally was poorly managed and attended by less than 80 people. PPP Divisional Coordinator Imran Ashraf said Mr Sharif had lost his mandate after the Joint Investigation Team report and had to step down.

He said the PPP is the largest party and would not support corrupt rulers, and the PML-N has no choice but to elect a new prime minister for the months before the next elections.

He claimed the PML-N had initiated false cases against the PPP leadership, but now it had been proven that they were receiving commissions and kickbacks from projects for the last 30 years.

Mr Jadoon said the Sharif family had plundered the4 country, and the time had come for people to bring back the plundered wealth from abroad.

He said in case of the prime minister’s disqualification, the Supreme Court needs to be obeyed, but the rulers were busy influencing government officials.

He added that the JIT had worked hard and brought evidence against those ruling the country for the last three decades.

Mr Jadoon said the PPP had supported the PML-N in 2014 for the sake of democracy, but times had changed and the PML-N was suffering due to its bad policies.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2017