(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Punjab chief minister shahbaz sharif removed provincial law minister rana sanaullah and a top bureaucrat to facilitate just probe into a dozen deaths resulting from alleged police firing on pakistan awami tehreek (pat) activists last week.
“though very difficult but i deem it necessary to ask rana sanaullah to step down and remove my principal secretary tauqeer shah for the sake of impartial inquiry into a very deplorable incident” shahbaz sharif announced at a news conference in lahore on friday evening.
pat chief allama tahirul qadri rejected the announcement and several other opposition leaders including imran khan chaudhry pervez elahi and others said shahbaz sharif must accept responsibility for the incident and resign.
the move was seen as a step to offset the pressure the ruling pml-n is facing after the minhajul quran incident. media reports say at least 80 pat workers including some women had received direct bullet injuries. a judicial commission has been set up for probe.
pledging to make ‘any sacrifice for the sake of a transparent investigation’ the chief minister said that although he had trust in the inquiry commission set up by the lahore high court he had no objection if anybody wished to approach the supreme court for setting up a new panel or taking suo motu notice of the incident.
“fingers are being pointed at me. i want to assure you i won’t sit peacefully until the victims are provided justice” he said.
recalling the services of rana sana for the party especially during the musharraf government and dr tauqeer as his secretary during the past many years he said the decision of their removal had been difficult for him but such steps had to be taken for the sake of justice.
if given an opportunity by the minhaj administration he was ready to visit them to pray for the deceased he said.
arguing that the government’s move vindicated his party’s stance dr qadri rejected the sackings terming them a farce.
meanwhile referring to the bloodshed that took place in lahore on june 17 pakistan muslim league-quaid (pml-q) punjab president chaudhry pervez elahi on saturday demanded the resignation of prime minister nawaz sharif and punjab chief minister shahbaz sharif.
speaking at a press conference in lahore the provincial party president remarked that “justice will not be served till the resignation of pm nawaz and punjab cm shahbaz”.
meanwhile pakistan tehreek-e-insaaf chairman imran khan on saturday demanded the resignation of punjab chief minister shahbaz sharif in the wake of the killing of 11 members of pakistan awami tehreek. the complicity of the chief minister in the model town tragedy was evident from the hasty transfer of the punjab ig just before the police action commenced he alleged.
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