Nawaz demands abolishment of 17th Amendment

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif demanded the abolishment of the 17th Amendment during a press conference at his Raiwind residence on Wednesday, a private TV channel reported.

According to the channel, Nawaz said the 17th Amendment and other controversial issues should be resolved through implementation of the Charter of Democracy.

He said all outstanding issues would be resolved jointly and he had talked to Prime Minister Gilani in this regard.

To a question, he said that his party’s mandate in Punjab had been violated and that there was no justification for governor’s rule in the province. He demanded governor’s rule be lifted immediately.

Commenting on the SC verdict disqualifying him and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from contesting elections, he said the Pakistani people had not accepted the verdict.

Nawaz said it was the first time that the people of Pakistan felt empowered, adding that judges’ reinstatement would not have been possible without the nation’s support. “Our society has witnessed a revolution through people power and this process should continue in the future,” he said. He praised the Pakistani nation for its struggle for the restoration of judiciary and also lauded the media for playing a leading role in the lawyers’ movement. He congratulated people on the reinstatement of the sacked judges and also thanked President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for reinstating the judges. He said he had only political differences with President Zardari and not any personal ones.