Nawaz asks people to stand up

Published December 9, 2007

GUJRANWALA, Dec 8: PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif has said that the All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) meeting scheduled for Sunday (today) in Lahore would take a final decision regarding election boycott.

Speaking at a big public meeting at Sheranwala Bagh here on Saturday, he said that if APDM decided to participate in election, it would be a referendum against Musharraf.

The PML-N leader, who was accorded a warm welcome during his journey from Lahore to Gujranwala by the GT Road, appealed to the people not to vote for the ruling party PML-Q as it was responsible for the destruction of judiciary and killing of innocent people, including children and women, in the name of war on terror.

Nawaz said he had tried his best to convince PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto on the demand for the restoration of pre-emergency judiciary but she kept on insisting about the freedom of judiciary.

He urged the police and administration not to obey the illegal orders of the government and asked people to be ready to launch a protest movement for the restoration of judiciary and constitution.

He criticized the govt for detaining Dr Abdul Qadir Khan and termed army dictatorship `a cancer’ for the country.

The former federal minister Ghulam Dastagir Khan, former provincial minister Usman Ibrahim and ticket holder for NA-96 Khurram Dastagir Khan also spoke.

Our Sheikhupura correspondent adds: The former prime minister said that upcoming elections would be meaningless if the judiciary was not be restored.

He was addressing a gathering of party activists and citizens at Muridke, on his way to Gujranwala, from Lahore on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Sharif was given rousing welcome by thousands of activists on his arrival.

He said it was quite clear that elections would be rigged.

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