Imran anticipates big ‘goodbye reception’ for PM next week

ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court is to take up highly anticipated Panama Papers implementation case on Monday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said the next week is Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s last week in office.

While speaking to the New York Times, Khan said he hoped there will be a big goodbye reception for the premier in Islamabad next week.

He said the long, dark night is finally over as his arch-rival PM Sharif is going to be removed from office. “I think he is gone,” Imran Khan said PM Sharif. “The long, dark night is finally over.”

The top court having gone through Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT) findings will order his removal under Article 62 and 63 of the country’s Constitution, the PTI chief added.

“Now, there will be criminal proceedings against the prime minister,” Imran Khan said. “The whole family has lied to the court. The whole defense has been a fraud.”

Articles 62 and 63 of the 1973’s Constitution calls for disqualification of parliamentarians for being dishonest.

Khan said he expected snap elections as Sharif was going to be removed by the court.

Read Also: Nawaz Sharif ruined institutions to safeguard his corruption: Imran

Earlier while addressing a public gathering, Imran said that the PM had ruined national institutions to safeguard his corruption. “The coming week will decide whether Pakistan will be nation of dacoits or a Naya Pakistan,” he added.

Following the release of the JIT findings that the premier and his family members were involved in money laundering, Nawaz Sharif has been under immense pressure to step down, but he has resolved to stay in office, terming these findings a pack of lies and suppositions.

The pressure the incumbent government is facing can be gauged from back to back meetings, the premier has been holding with his close aides, the party leaders and coalition partners to tackle post JIT situation and devise a strategy to contest it findings in the apex court.

Following the JIT report, the premier took his cabinet and coalition partners into confidence over his decision to stay put and contest the findings in the apex court. The cabinet also endorsed his decision and rejected the report in its entirety.

Afterwards, he called a meeting of the PML-N parliamentarians and secured their confidence on the matter.