Nawaz Sharif lashes out at judiciary, military

Sharif claimed that unemployment in the country would have been overcome had he stayed in power for another three years.

Lahore, Aug 12: In a veiled attack at Pakistan's judiciary and the military establishment, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said "a few people" cannot be allowed to rule over 200 million people of the country.

Delivering a fiery speech at Muridkay, 67-year-old Sharif asked the people to support him in "revolution" he is going to bring about to change the destiny of Pakistan.

"Will you stand by Nawaz Sharif in the revolution?" he asked, inviting cheers of "yes!"

"Time has come that it has to be decided who will rule this country. A bunch of few cannot or the 200 million people. Pakistan is not the property of a few people," Sharif said, referring to the military establishment and the judiciary.

Sharif claimed that unemployment in the country would have been overcome had he stayed in power for another three years. He repeated elements of the same narrative he'd built in Jhelum and Gujranwala during his home coming journey.

"The decision (to depose me) is not yours. If Nawaz Sharif would have been involved in corruption, you would have dragged me out of office yourself," he told his supporters.

Sharif has been targeting the five judges of apex court for forcing him to quit and those in the military establishment who played a role in his ouster.

"Some people are against Pakistan's progress, therefore, they ousted your elected prime minister," he told his supporters amidst loud cheers.

"Pakistan is being embarrassed in the world because of this decision. People across the world and Pakistanis are rejecting the decision," he added.

Sharif was greeted by supporters lining up on the both sides of road as he came out of the Punjab House in Islamabad on Wednesday, making it impossible for his motorcade to move. He covered about 30 km in 12 hours to reach Rawalpindi where he addressed a big rally.

On Thursday, he resumed his travel from Rawalpindi and reached Jhelum in the evening and addressed an even bigger rally there. Later, he rested at a scenic hotel on the banks of the River Jhelum. He left Jhelum on Friday afternoon and stopped in Gujarat for Friday prayers and addressed his supporters.

On Friday, Sharif vowed before a big welcoming crowd in Gujranwala to fight back against a "conspiracy" hatched to hinder economic progress in Pakistan.

A five-member Supreme Court bench last month disqualified Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing the prime minister to quit for the record third time.

PTI