ABBOTTABAD: Ousted prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif struck a defiant note on Sunday, declaring that the only court he was answerable to was the 200 million people of Pakistan.

Kicking off his mass-contact campaign from the province ruled by his arch-rival Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the ex-premier repeatedly lashed out at the judiciary, specifically the Supreme Court bench that had disqualified him, and co-opted a variety of legal terms to punctuate his speech.

Taking exception to a couplet, quoted by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan in the decision rejecting his review petition before the apex court, Mr Sharif said that nobody had ever challenged the rahzan (waylayers) such as Musharraf and many others, who came to power by force over the past 70 years and were never held accountable.

He was referring to the line Idhar udhar ki na baat kar, yeh bata keh qafla kyon luta. Mujhe rahzanoon se gila nahin teri rehbari ka sawal hai (Don’t beat about the bush, explain why the caravan was robbed. I have no grudge with the waylayers, but doubt your leadership); used by Justice Khan to illustrate his point.

Says he’s only answerable to ‘people’s court’; criticises PTI’s billion tree project

But, Mr Sharif insisted, all those who came to power through the ballot were ousted every time, adding that his review petition was now pending before the “court of public opinion”.

Although the Hazara belt is generally considered to be a PML-N stronghold, the former PM’s choice of Abbottabad invited comparisons with Mr Khan’s own public meeting, which was held here in May this year.

Even though the PML-N’s show was impressive, locals said that most of those in attendance were part of rallies brought in from Havelian, Mansehra, Haripur and other parts of Hazara.

Mr Sharif recounted his many achievements, saying that the name ‘Nawaz Sharif’ had now become an ideology, which was synonymous with development.

“The general public is neither deaf nor blind, and will carry on the accountability of all those who denied justice to their leader, who came to power through the ballot.”

He asked all those talking about a minus-Nawaz Sharif formula should look at the flood of people who had rejected the decision to oust him from office, adding that he lived in the hearts of his supporters.

The PML-N leader said that despite the negative tactics used by his opponents, they were unable to prove a single penny’s worth of corruption against him. Despite this, he said, he and his family were repeatedly being dragged before the courts in the name of accountability.

“I will never run away from the country and will face all charges, no one can stop me from serving the country,” he said.

The former prime minister also took aim at former dictators, saying that they were allowed to rule and overrule the public, adding that the judge who had taken oaths under the Provisional Constitution Order to give cover to the “power-grabbers” were sitting at the helm of justice.

He claimed that his disqualification was a plot to destabilise the country and derail the economic growth that had been seen in recent years.

“When we came into power, there were 20 hours of loadshedding daily, the country was on the brink of bankruptcy, and terrorism was at its peak. Now, people are saying goodbye to loadshedding, terrorist activities are at their lowest ebb and peace is taking root in the country once again.”

However, those who are working for hidden agendas and promoting dharna culture have ruined the country’s progress, he maintained.

He also called out the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that it was worst example of corruption. Criticising irregularities in the billions tree tsunami project, he said that the people will hold the rulers to account and recover their looted money.

“PTI has failed to deliver,” he claimed, and said that the people of the province were fed up with their present rulers.

Mr Sharif was accompanied by Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, PM’s adviser on aviation Mahtab Ahmed Khan, PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Senator Asif Kirmani, Marvi Memon, Pir Sabir Shah and others.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2017