LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday said that he has asked for the resignation of the provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, DawnNews reported.
The announcement comes over the outrage against a police crackdown on workers of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in Lahore on Tuesday in which nine people lost their lives.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, the chief minister said that even though Sanaullah has performed his duties in an honest manner for 15 years, he has asked him to resign for the sake of justice.
Shahbaz Sharif also said that he has asked for the resignation of Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Punjab Dr Tauqir.
He said that even though Dr Tauqir was like a younger brother to him, the decision had to be taken as a matter of principle.
Shahbaz Sharif also said that he has ordered the arrest of the police officers involved in the shooting of the protestors.
"If there is doubt over the government's judicial inquiry on the incident, the Supreme Court can be asked to do it instead," he said.
Reacting to the announcement, PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri termed it a ‘drama’ by the chief minister.
“Shahbaz Shahbaz should stop this drama and resign,” he said, adding that Rana Sanaullah would soon be restored to his post.
“By taking this decision, the chief minister has proven wrong the official government statement,” he said.
Rejecting the single-member judicial commission formed by the provincial government to probe into the incident, Qadri demanded that the Supreme Court investigate the killings independently.
“This judicial commission would declare all culprits innocent,” he added.