MULTAN: Veteran politician Javed Hashmi says the Supreme Court judges should have sent the issue of disqualification period under Article 62(1)(f) to parliament.

Talking to newsmen here on Friday, Hashmi said it is the right time for the creation of new province in south Punjab that should be created before the coming general election.

Once a stalwart of PML-N, Hashmi said the SC judges decision would not affect Nawaz Sharif’s politics. “Politicians remain alive even if they are assassinated. It takes decades to make a leader but he is removed either through execution or by a stroke of pen within no time,” he regretted.

Says SC judges should have sent disqualification period issue to parliament

Opposing Article 62(1)(f), Hashmi said “such decisions will make the Supreme Court controversial. Every commoner is terming it a wrong decision that has reduced the dignity of the apex court instead of increasing it,” he said.

He said the politics of Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Tareen would continue.

NEW PROVINCE: The senior politician said since the National Assembly was in session, all political parties, particularly three mainstream parties who were apparently in favour of the proposal, should move a draft bill.

According to him, the issue of the new province would not end now and a fifth federating unit would have to be created and could be created within a day.

He said a movement would be launched if the province was not created. “I will launch the movement and we will come on the roads to get the job done,” he said.He said that people of south Punjab had been deceived in the past by political parties on the issue of new province.

Hashmi said he was ready to visit the residences of Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Yousaf Raza Gilani for the sake of the province and they would support him.

“I will give a final call to the masses if the province is not created,” he said.

He said that he would stand by the Janoobi Punjab Suba Mahaaz if he was invited to.He said there was a perception that establishment was behind the move. “It means the establishment does some good work as well.”

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2018