Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that millions of people had voted to elect their leader, but unfortunately a few had conspired to overthrow the democratic government.
Asserting that he was ousted for the third time, Sharif questioned his gathered supporters at Committee Chowk in Rawalpindi late Wednesday night, "was this not an insult to your vote?"
Pointing out that gathering here serves as a referendum, he claimed that the court of the people of Pakistan has given its verdict in his favour.
He noted that not a single Prime Minister of Pakistan has been allowed to complete his or her tenure for past 70 years,
"We have to make sure that the mandate of the people is respected in the future. We will do this in the interest of Pakistan," Dawn quoted Sharif as saying
He added that until the mandate of people is not respected, Pakistan cannot progress.
Speaking on his disqualification by the Supreme Court, Nawaz claimed that there was not even a single allegation of corruption against him so the apex court de-seated me for not receiving a salary from my son
Sharif said that he want people to support him for the betterment of the country.
Sharif had resigned from the Prime Minister's office following disqualification by the Supreme Court in the Panamagate verdict.
According to reports, the legal basis for disqualifying Sharif is explained in the page 23 and 24 of the verdict.
It says: "As a sequel to what has been discussed in paragraphs 13 above, the following declaration and direction is issued:-
i) It is hereby declared that having failed to disclose his unwithdrawn receivables constituting assets from Capital FZE, Jebel Ali, UAE in his nomination papers filed for the General Elections held in 2013 in terms of Section 12(2)(f) of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 (ROPA), and having furnished a false declaration under solemn affirmation respondent No. 1 Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is not honest in terms of Section 99(f) of ROPA and Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, therefore, he is disqualified to be a Member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament);
ii) The Election Commission of Pakistan shall issue a notification disqualifying respondent No. 1 Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif from being a Member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) with immediate effect, where after he shall cease to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan."
The apex court ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reference against the accused in an accountability court in six weeks, directing for the trial to be concluded within six months.
It is the second time in Pakistan's 70-year history that the Supreme Court has disqualified a sitting prime minister. In 2012 then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was disqualified over contempt of court charges for refusing to reopen a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Also, no Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year elected term. Most tenures have been cut short by military coups.
While serving as the country's Prime Minister in 1993, Sharif was sacked by the then-president over graft allegations, while in 1999 he was ousted in a military coup.
Following the apex court's verdict, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) announced Punjab Chief Minister and Nawaz Sharif's younger brother Shehbaz Sharif as the next Prime Minister of Pakistan.
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