Daily Times

Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz’s (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday called the Parliament to establish its supremacy following the recent Punjab poll verdict issued by the Supreme Court, which he said has virtually “incapacitated the legislature making it redundant.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday in London, Sharif argued that the survival of the country depended on the strength of its democratic institutions, and criticized the ongoing “drama” of ousting elected governments. According to Sharif, the current verdict in the Punjab polls case was purportedly to give benefit to “one pampered person while incapacitating the state”.

“This is a pity,” Sharif said. “This is the result of over 70 years of mismanagement and corruption in our political system. It is time for us to re-evaluate the way we run our country,” he asserted.

Sharif, highlighted the “doctrine of necessity” which had been invoked numerous times in Pakistan’s history to legitimize military coups and other unconstitutional actions.

He argued that this doctrine was only applied to elected governments, while dictators had enjoyed immunity from prosecution. This double standard had weakened Pakistan’s democratic institutions, he added.

The former prime minister also expressed dismay over the rejection of the demand to constitute a full court, stating that he believed there may have been “ulterior motives behind the decision”.

He said that the decision against him in the Panama Papers case was incorrect and should have been reviewed by a new bench. Sharif also alleged that his disqualification was the result of a collaboration between three former individuals occupying key positions.

According to Sharif, the real victims of his ouster were the people of Pakistan which pushed the country into chaos. He praised the judges who were on the right path, stating that they were waging a “jihad” for the betterment of the country.