GUJRAT: The quaid of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, said on Sunday that the next general elections in the country would be a referendum against the decision for ousting him from the prime minister office.

Addressing a public meeting of his party in Kotla area of Gujrat district (located along the border of Azad Jammu and Kashmir), he said in the next polls people would vote for bringing a revolution under which respect for the people’s mandate would be restored.

He said the practice of ousting elected prime ministers through different means had been continuing in the country for decades. “Should this trend be allowed to continue,” he asked from the responsive gathering.

“Just five people have ousted a prime minister elected by millions of voters. They are victimising me in anger since they have no respect for the mandate of the people,” he said.

Maryam again criticises court judgements

The ousted PM said they did not allow the party’s candidates to contest Senate election with the name of PML-N because the tickets the party issued to them had his signature. But, he added, the party’s members in the national and provincial assemblies had rejected their decision by ensuring success of the candidates backed by the PML- N.

“My name is Nawaz Sharif. Snatch my name from me if you can. Remove the signatures of Nawaz Sharif from the nuclear programme, power plants, CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) projects,” he said.

“You have ousted Nawaz Sharif from the prime minister office, but you cannot oust him from the hearts of the people. I am here in Kotla to ask the people will you join my hand in this sacred war for the restoration of the vote’s respect. Can you accept such a disgrace meted out to an elected prime minister, ” Mr Sharif asked the crowd.

Maryam Nawaz in her address strongly criticised the decisions of the superior judiciary.

“Usually investigation takes place first when someone is charged with any offence. Then the matter goes to the court for a decision but this did not happen in the case of Nawaz Sharif who was first punished and then the investigation started. Now six months of investigation are going to end by March 7 but nothing has been proved against us so far. A witness they produced had recorded his statement in favour of Nawaz Sharif and his children,” she said.

Mr Sharif and Ms Maryam arrived in Kotla on a helicopter. They were driven to a house for lunch in tight security. They reached the venue of the public meeting at around 3.30pm.

A large number of vehicles and convoys of party supporters were stuck in traffic blockade in an area about three to four kilometres away from the venue due to poor arrangements by the local administration.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2018