GUJRANWALA, Jan 10: A deposed judge of the Lahore High Court says he does not see the general election on Feb 18 in the prevailing situation.

Speaking at the District Bar Association here on Thursday, Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif said the ‘one man’, who had held the entire nation hostage to prolong his rule, was responsible for the aggravating situation.

He said Pakistan was created by a lawyer and now it would be purged of a dictator by lawyers, who were struggling for the freedom of the judiciary and supremacy of law. He said deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was the only judge who impeached the rulers for their corruption and cancelled Pakistan Steel Mills’ privatisation. He said he took up missing persons’ case.

Mr Sharif said all judges who did not take oath under the Provisional Constitution Order were still judge under the constitution.

He said Pakistan was being destroyed by the one-man regime. He said suicide bombings had made people and security forces equally unsafe. He said security forces’ image had been tarnished and now people had no respect for them.

Earlier, bar president Ilyas Rehan and other office bearers welcomed Mr Sharif at the function.

District nazim: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Iftikhar Ahmad Cheema and Pakistan People’s Party candidate Asima Shahnawaz Cheema have alleged that District Nazim Fiaz Ahmad Chattha is using official sources to support his father Hamid Nasir Chattha, a Pakistan Muslim League-Q hopeful for the National Assembly seat NA-101 (Wazirabad).

Speaking at a corner meeting in Wazirabad on Thursday, Iftikhar Cheema said his brother Dr Nisar Ahmad Cheema, executive district officer for health, went on long leave to ensure impartiality in the election, but the district nazim and Tehsil Nazim Nawazish Ali Cheema were running Nasir Chattha’s election campaign.

He said they were using official resources, nazims and councillors to influence the people.

He demanded that the election commission suspend local bodies to ensure free and fair election.