LA HORE: The PPP has urged the judiciary to act for the sake of the federation which, it says, is in danger because of blocking the entry of the whole cabinet of a province by Punjab.

`The Supreme Court had been taking suo motu actions on `much frivolous issues` in the past. But now is the time for judicial activism as the federation is under threat, for ineptness of the PML-N has brought police of two federating units on the verge of clash by trying to `illegally` block the entry of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chiefminister and his cabinet to Punjab,` PPP General Secretary Lateef Khosa told Dawn here on Monday.

`The Constitution gives the right to each and every citizen to travel to anywhere in the country, provided one is not involved in any illegal activity or carrying any contraband, what to talk of a chief minister and his cabinet,` he said.

`Does the house of Sharifs want the CMs and cabinets [of other provinces] to get passports and transit visas for passing through Punjab on way to the federal capital?` The act, he declared, was tantamount to revolt against the Constitution and should be treated as high treason.

In fact, Punjab has been cut off from other three provinces as police have barricaded all entrances from Sindh,Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he lamented.

In the absence of any other constitutional or legal forum to check `anti-federation` policies of the Sharifs, he argued, only the judiciary had the powers to protect the federation and it should not delay the required intervention.

He didn`t elaborate the kind of intervention.

The PPP leader, however, cautioned that the more the Sharifs are tolerated in power the higher is the risk for the federation and that the earlier Nawaz Sharif tenders resignation the better it is.

To a query, Mr Khosa said the PML-N like the PPP government in 2013 musthave engaged the protesters and negotiated with them on the issues being made basis of the `lockdown.

But, the government instead was adding fuel to the fire by giving provoking statements, he regretted, instead of taking the course of talks and negotiations.

He advised the government to hold parleys with the opposition on the proposed bill tabled by the latter in the parliament for Panama leaks probe as he claimed that it had been framed under the `guidelines` given by the apex court in response to the government`s letter to the chief justice for setting up a Panama commission.

He said the PPP and other parties were ready for across-the-board accountability but the deadlock occurred when the PML-N demanded that neither Nawaz Sharif nor his family must be mentioned in the proposed ToR. `Now should we hold accountable patwaris (low-ranking revenue officials) if not the rulers?`