LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) has threatened to launch a protest movement against Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif if he does not resign within a week. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, LHCBA President Zulfiqar Chaudhry, Vice-President Rashid Lodhi, Secretary Amir Saeed Raan and Finance Secretary Zaheer Butt demanded the PM resign. Chaudhry said that Nawaz Sharif had to resign within a week, or face a movement bigger than the one launched for the restoration of judiciary in 2007. “In the majority decision, Nawaz Sharif was not declared innocent. Sharif has to follow the democratic norms. Throughout the world, public office holders implicated in the Panama Papers scandal immediately relinquished their offices. However, Nawaz Sharif still clings to power,” he said. “How can officers, who themselves are answerable to the prime minister, investigate his corruption?” he asked. Lodhi said that it was the first time such a high-profile case of corruption had gone to the apex court. “Some pertinent questions were raised by the court over the PM’s money-trail. These questions cannot be ignored,” he said. He said that the SC had rejected Nawaz Sharif’s claims. “For this reason, the PM has lost the moral and legal authority to stay in power,” he said. Raan said that apex court’s decision had in fact indicted Nawaz Sharif. “He is no more the head of the government. The PM has no moral right to rule,” Raan said.
