LAHORE: The General Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Liaquat Baloch has said Sunday, PML-N chief Mian Mohammed Nawaz Sharif decided not to contest on NA-123 seat in by-elections due to JI’s contender Hafiz Salman Butt, running for the same seat, Geo news reported.

Addressing the by-election campaign rally, he said JI’s nominee Salman Butt beat Mian Salahuddin in 1985 polls and defeated former Governor Pujnab Mian Azhar in 1990 polls on NA-123 seat, therefore, for fear of his defeat seemingly looming, Nawaz Sharif would rather avoid than to run in by-polls.

He hoped for JI’s Hafiz Butt to repeat history by winning by-polls once again.

KARACHI: In a scathing attack on President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Syed Munawar Hasan on Sunday descried them as two sides of a forged coin.

Speaking to newsmen after attending the party’s CEC meeting here, he demanded that the contempt of court action should be initiated against President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani in connection with issuance of illegal notifications about judges’ appointment.

“Prime Minister Gilani is not that innocent that he is unaware of presidential order,” he said, adding the present situation proves that the government has declared a showdown with state organs.

He was of the view that present judicial crisis would mostly dent the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

To a question, the JI Amir said that the state institutions were heading toward confrontation, which would deteriorate the situation even further. He also lauded the two judges for not accepting presidential orders about their elevation.

Hasan announced that the JI along with other parties and civil society would stage a demonstration outside the Supreme Court to express solidarity with judiciary. He also appealed to people for support for the supremacy of law.

QUETTA: Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan on Sunday said that Pakistan needed justice more than PPP’s slogan ‘roti kapra and makan’ (bread, clothing and shelter).

In a telephone address to his party’s workers at Quetta Press Club, he said that the government wanted to bring the judges of its own choice. However, he said that his party would fully resist any such move by the government.

Khan urged the need for waging a struggle to get social and education justice besides judicial justice.

The PTI chief also called for the formation of an independent election commission along with judiciary so that the foundation of a free and fair election could be laid down in the country.

“A section of the country is doing politics either in the name of Islam or Mahajar,” he pointed out.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) will not allow the government to go scot-free, the party chief Mian Nawaz Sharif warned terming President Asif Ali Zardari as the biggest danger to the democracy.

Addressing the packed hall of journalists after the party’s meeting, he said it seemed that the government does not accept the restored judiciary.

The democracy never before faced such a great threat as now in the form of President Zardari, who has become the gravest danger to democracy, he said.

The PML-N condemns the incident that occurred yesterday, as the event plunged the country in the uncertainty and the President House outgrew its limits, Sharif told.

He said yesterday’s incident was an action re-play of November 3, 2007, adding the government is targeting the judiciary to safeguard its corruption in preference for their corruption to the respect for the judiciary.

The Army should have the role stipulated in the Constitution, he said.

Nawaz Sharif said he forcefully warned the government to ensure the supremacy of the Constitution, adding his party categorically rejects the autocratic method adopted by the government.

He said the judiciary was restored by the people not the government which only issued a notification, informing the journalists that he had told Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani a day before not to delay the implementation on the recommendations of judges’ appointments.

However, the following day, something else surfaced, he added demanding the recommendations of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry should be immediately put into action.

Nawaz said the PML-N wants to make it abundantly clear to the government in unequivocal terms that it would not be allowed to go its way on judges’ appointments nor would it be spared the chance for corruption.

‘We can make harsh decisions in the coming days and will protest in and outside the Parliament and mobilize the masses. We will not allow anyone to spoil the institutions for personal motives,’ he said.

Had the Charter of Democracy been implemented, then there would not have been these problems, he asserted demanding President Zardari to bring back to Pakistan his wealth siphoned off to Swiss accounts; this is the money hard-earned by the people of Pakistan.

The country has been turned into a circus, he added.

The people of Pakistan will take care of all affairs, the Army should not be dragged into them; nor should the Army get itself involved in such affairs, he said.

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rashid survived an armed attack on his election office here on Monday.

Sheikh Rashid received minor injuries on his leg when he fell on the ground at the time of the attack. However, four of his guards were killed in the attack.

Armed assailants carrying Kalashnikov(s) attacked Sheikh Rashid outside his election office when he was heading on foot to attend a public meeting.

Eaerlier, Javed Qureshi, the personal assistant of Sheikh Rashid confirmed the attack while talking to Geo News from 1122 ambulance in which Sheikh Rashid was being shifted to hospital.

President Asif Ali Zardari has ordered inquiry into the attack and submission of its report immediately.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also ordered the commissioner and RPO to investigate into the incident.

Some of the bullets hit the Land Cruiser of Sheikh Rashid shattering its window panes.

Later, workers of AML took to the streets to protest the attack.