‘It’s an insult to nation’s 20 crore people’

A defiant Nawaz Sharif on Thursday criticised the judiciary for forcing him to quit as Prime Minister, saying it was an “insult to 20 crore people of Pakistan” that their elected leader was unceremoniously ousted with a single stroke of pen.

A five-member Supreme Court bench last month disqualified Mr. Sharif, 67, 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.

‘No graft charges’

“It is an insult to 20 crore people of Pakistan. You voted for me, and five honourable [judges] with a single stroke of pen sent me home,” Mr. Sharif told his supporters in Jhelum on the second day of his journey from Islamabad to Lahore via the Grand Trunk Road. “There is no charge of corruption or embezzlement. May I ask why I have been ousted?” he asked.

Mr. Sharif said it was pity that none of the Prime Ministers in the 70-year history of the country have been allowed to complete their tenure, adding that but “dictators” were allowed to rule for decades.