Zardari, not PPP, deceived us: Nawaz

Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that President Asif Ali Zardari has deceived him and his brother Mian Shahbaz Sharif by getting them disqualified through judges appointed by former president Pervez Musharraf.Addressing mass public gathering on Thursday, the two-time former prime minister said that the verdict of his ineligibility by the Supreme Court has been rejected by the nation. "Pakistan is passing through hard times because of verdicts of PCO judges," he said.The PML-N leader said that the decision of people court has diametrically opposed a decision of a fake court. "People have rejected fake courts and fake judges," he remarked, and termed the public gathering a referendum against court decision.The nation has now known Zardari's betrayal and wickedness," Nawaz said. "We were betrayed not by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) but by Asif Zardari," he said. "He (Zardari) ruined all grounds of cooperation that I build with late former prime minister Benazir Bhutto," he said.President Zardari would not be allowed to undermine public trust, he said, and termed the governor rule in Punjab unconstitutional. He said that people of Punjab would not allow anyone to ambush on their mandate. Shahbaz Sharif was still legal and constitutional chief minister of Punjab, he said.These 'incompetent' judges and courts could not declare Shahbaz Sharif ineligible, the PML-N leader said. "I have asked Shahbaz Sharif he is legal and constitutional chief minister and he should continue his work," he said. These courts had declared ineligible Pervez Musharraf eligible, he said.These courts were now declaring those ineligible who were serving Pakistan and Punjab, Nawaz said, and added such a chief minister was declared disqualified who provided people bread at the rate of two rupees.He said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has informed news conference that recommendations of prime minister was mandatory and Asif Zardari had taken this decision without his consultation and without taking him into confidence. "I ask him (Gilani) if he is not part of this decision then he should come and join popular decision," he said.Nawaz said he suffered miseries of jail and exile and now he could not bow his head before anyone. He said that the martial laws and the judges who had validated these martial laws, executed and exiled real representatives of people were responsible for the destruction of country, he said."We want to leave such a Pakistan where rule of law is in place, supremacy of constitution is ensured and such persons be not judges who have taken oath from a dictator," the PML-N leader remarked. "These are same judges who were inducted by Musharraf and Zardari got us disqualified from these judges," he said."But I have not come here in connection with this decision. I have come here to talk about Pakistan. Our country is being pushed into devastation and destruction. If people give us a few weeks to save Pakistan we will ruin those who had ruined Pakistan," the former premier told the gathering."We have to bring back those judges first of all who refused to accept Musharraf. If these judges remain in place then we will lose Pakistan. We have to save Pakistan at every cost. Nothing is dear to me than Pakistan," the PML-N leader announced.Earlier, addressing 6-hour long emergency party meeting in Lahore, the PML-N leader declared the governor rule as a deep and grievous insult to the masses mandate of February 18 general elections. Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Javed Hashmi, Khawaja Asif, Pervez Rashid, and others attended the meeting. He declared to start a nationwide movement against the ineligibility decision, and decided for a full-fledged coordination campaign with like-minded parties. A roadmap has also been prepared which consists of full public participations, rallies, and house-to-house contacts by the PML-N workers among others.Raja Zafar was entrusted with the task of taking out a major rally in Rawalpindi. Sources have indicated that the meeting also deliberated over the possibility of uniting the other half of the PML-Q, but there have been severe differences reported among the PML-N leaders.Addressing the meeting, Nawaz termed the governor rule akin to the judiciary after Nov 2, 2007; a presidential and judicial martial law, and said that even the PPP leaders were not happy over the decision. He also directed his party members to table an immediate requisition to call a session of the Punjab Assembly.Expressing his complete boycott of any further meetings with the president, he said that Zardari not the PPP was behind the ineligibility decision. Accusing Zardari of hijacking the PPP, he affirmed his vows to reinstate the deposed judiciary, and said that the ineligibility case would be dissolved well before the next elections.Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif are likely to address Lahore High Court Bar Association on Friday (today). A delegation of lawyers held a meeting with the Sharif brothers in the Raiwind House and invited them to make an address to the bar, as a result Nawaz while accepting the request stated that the lawyers' movement has gained more importance.