LAHORE: Ex-governor of Punjab and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on Tuesday said safe heavens of “economic terrorism” must be eradicated from the power corridors.

He was addressing workers during a visit to Raiwind and Shahdra in connection with preparations for September 3 accountability march announced by the PTI. The party’s central leaders Sardar Kamil Umer, Mian Hamid Miraj, Mian Javed Ali, Raja Asif, Sami Khan and others were also present.

He said the rulers would have to face public pressure and the opposition’s movement for accountability. “We are not taking a solo flight but making collective effort. Supreme Court is identifying the corruption and bad governance but the government is not paying any heed to it. All opposition parties will participate in “Pakistan March” on September 3. Coming days will be tough for the PML-N government,” he said.

Mr Sarwar said terrorism and corruption were causing serious trouble to the nation and these must be rooted out. He added that “economic terrorism” must be eradicated from Pakistan.

He said the PTI had invited all opposition parties, including Pakistan People’s Party and PML-Q to join its “Pakistan March” on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Dr Yasmin Rashid, adviser to PTI chairman, lamented that the prime minister was out to destroy all national institutions just to cover up his corruption, adding that the Panama Papers had already exposed Nawaz Sharif’s corruption worth billions of rupees.

Talking to a party workers’ delegations at her office on Tuesday, Ms Rashid asserted that the masses on September 3 would tell Nawaz Sharif that nobody would come out to defend corruption charges he was facing.

“When the prime minister will himself be corrupt, the national institutions get destroyed automatically,” she said and regretted that Nawaz Sharif ruined the country just to make money for himself and his family.

She deplored that Punjab’s 56 per cent budget was being spent in Lahore alone and the remaining 44pc budget was distributed in rest of the province.

She said the PTI would prove on September 3 that the masses had decided they would not let a “corrupt government” rule them.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2016