Former interior minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Monday that his silence in the post-May 9 era would pay dividends in the future, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Speaking to reporters outside an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi, he said all he wanted was for poor people to continue to win their bread and butter.  “Pakistan needs to move forward. But the condition of poor people in the country is pathetic,” he added.

Sheikh Rasheed appealed to those calling the shots in the country to release those poor prisoners on Ramadan 27 who were languishing in jails in connection with incidents of May 9 violence.

AML chief reminded that he had made a prophecy quite early that Shehbaz Sharif’s, and not Nawaz Sharif’s, politics would prevail.

He went on to say that he had been nominated in 17 May 9-related cases.

He said that out of these 17 cases, 11 were being heard by an ATC.

ATC orders provision of copies of challan to Sh Rasheed, others

Earlier, judge Malik Ijaz Asif of the ATC ordered the distribution of copies of challan to 69 suspects in three May 9-related cases, including Sheikh Rasheed, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Colonel Ajmal Sabir, Zartaj Gul, Chaudhry Sajid, Wasiq Qayyum and Taimoor Masood Akbar so that they could be indicted on the next hearing.

Sheikh Rasheed, PTI leader Zartaj Gul and ex-PTI leader Sadaqat Ali Abbasi appeared in the court along with their lawyers.

Later the court deferred the hearing of the case until April 23.  

Reporter: Hashir Ahsan