ISLAMABAD: Amid persisting uncertainty regarding the reserved verdict in the Panama Papers case, the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chief Aftab Ahmed Sherpao said on Tuesday that the Supreme Court should announce it as early as possible and all political parties should wait for the judgement and respect it instead of going for confrontation.

Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah also said that the prime minister should nominate his successor before the situation turned worse.

Former interior minister Sherpao said at a press conference: “I request the Supreme Court to immediately announce its verdict in the Panama Papers case to rid the country of the state of standstill.”

He said that once the decision was announced, his party would stand by it and the stance of the united opposition. “Everyone should have to obey the decision of the Supreme Court to bring an end the prevailing political tension.”

Mr Sherpao said no one should try to derail democracy because it would be harmful to the country.

He said Monday’s suicide attack in Lahore had shown that terrorists had re-emerged in the country as the government had lost its focus on eliminating terrorism and was using all its energies in protecting the prime minister and his family in the case.

“The government is paralysed and the terrorists are getting advantage of the situation,” he added.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Shah said in a statement that the Panama Papers matter was quite clear after the verdict of two of the five judges and the report of the joint investigation team formed by the Supreme Court and the prime minister should nominate his successor before the situation turned worse.

Referring to a work permit of the United Arab Emirates obtained by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he said: “Holding a work permit is not an offence but not declaring it before the Election Commission of Pakistan is a serious crime.”

He said that despite countless sacrifices, including the lives of thousands of Pakistanis, the world was again accusing the country of supporting terrorists. “This is because of the failure of the government’s foreign policy,” he said.

Mr Shah said the Pakistan Peoples Party had always saved democracy and now it was the duty of the prime minister to protect it by leaving his office for not fulfilling the constitutional requirement of being ‘honest’ and ‘sagacious’.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2017