Rana Sanaullah shuns demand for Shehbaz’s resignation

KARACHI: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has shunned the call for Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s resignation, saying such demands are made every other day.

While speaking on Geo News show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath on Thursday, Sanaullah said if the chief minister had to resign he would have done so around four years ago as “these people” make such demands every other morning.

Shehbaz’s resignation was demanded by Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Tahir-ul-Qadri earlier in the evening over the Model Town enquiry report by Justice Baqir Najafi, which has recently been made public.

The Punjab government, at the behest of the Lahore High Court, made the report for the Model Town incident public on December 5. The report was drafted by Justice Baqir Najfi and called the 2014 tragedy in Lahore's Model Town as the "most unfortunate incident" in the country's history.

“Enough is enough! Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shehbaz must resign. After this report, he stands condemned, and a condemned man cannot remain the chief minister of the largest province of Pakistan,” Zardari told reporters at a press conference alongside Qadri in Lahore on Thursday.

As similarities have been drawn between the Faizabad sit-in turmoil of November 25 and the Model Town incident of 2014, Sanaullah was asked about the former's occurrence.

Talking about the attack on police during the Faizabad sit-in, Sanaullah said it was an unfortunate incident, the likes of which have occurred before in the country. 

When asked why MNA Zahid Hamid’s resignation was accepted from the position of federal law minister soon after it was demanded, Sanaullah said it was not the Faizabad sit-in due to which Hamid resigned.

Protesters in the Faizabad sit-in had demanded Hamid’s resignation, saying it was he who made the controversial amendment to the Finality of Prophethood declaration.

Although Hamid resigned on the evening of the Faizabad turmoil, earlier claims have stated Hamid had been wanting to resign over the sensitivity of the issue. The same was reiterated by Sanaullah during the show on Thursday, saying Hamid’s resignation was not forced by anyone.

Even though no news has surfaced of the chief minister planning to resign over the demand, a clip from one of Shehbaz’s earlier media talks shows that he had said he would immediately appear before the public and tender his resignation if he is held responsible by the report.