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RAWALPINDI: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday lambasted the former military dictators who ruled the country for most of its history and the Supreme Court judges who failed to hold them accountable for subverting the constitution.
The veteran leader who is leading a mammoth rally from the federal capital to his hometown of Lahore in show of defiance after being disqualified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, addressed his supporters after arriving in Jhelum , a major city along the GT Road.
“Millions of people elect their leader and five honorable judges disqualify him with a stroke of pen. Can you tolerate this. Even those judges said Nawaz Sharif didn’t indulge in corruption,” he said asking the people to raise the question as to why their leader was disqualified when he was not involved in corruption.
“People of Jhelumi should ask why was Nawaz ousted. There is no stain of corruption, my hands are clean,” said Nawaz Sharif, who was elected thrice but couldn’t complete his term even once.
“Why did you oust me. I want to ask, why did you oust me when I have no stain of corruption on me. Somebody should tell me whether I was ousted because I was putting Pakistan on the path of progress, , because investment was pouring in , load shedding was receding , peace was coming back , and youth were getting jobs,” Nawaz Sharif said.
“Had I continued that process of development, every youth would have got jobs. Only God knows I don’t care for myself. I fear for youth’s future. These youth are accompanying me from Islamabad, I had seen glimpse of hope in their eyes. Don’t lose hope. God is with You. Nawaz Sharif’s prayers are with you.
No prime minister could complete his tenure in the seventy years . People are being exploited. You elect people and a dictator and judges tear the ballot and throw in your face.
If we care about future of this youth, then we will have to change. Change everything. I didn’t come here . . . I am only going home, I am being sent home. I didn’t come here so you can make me prime minister again. I have got self respect . I don’t wan't to in power. I want to do something for you”.
“It is being done for 70 years. Every prime minister had 1.5 years in the office on an average. Dictators had ruled for 10 years. They ran away on the pretext of backache. Is there any court that could punish those dictators.
“They subverted constitution. Judges give them legitimacy and said Musharraf had done a good job by ousting Nawaz Sharif.
“Nawaz is the one who pressed the button of nuclear bomb. That is what you do with that man. Ho would you face Allah and the people. The nation demands answers to those questions.”
“This nation would hold dictators and all those who subjected them to cruelty accountable. If you stand by me, this country would survive. I wouldn't say get me reinstated, We have to make Pakistan a civilised country. We have to ensure there is rule of law, and respect for your vote. Only you would have the right to oust the one who you elect. Nobody else would dare to oust your leader.
From Islamabad to JEHLUM, the passion hasn't dampened. It has only increased. pic.twitter.com/9BY7W1aM6A
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) August 10, 2017
Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif has decided to stay in Jhelum overnight and start his journey to Lahore on Friday morning.
Earlier, the former prime minister started resumed his journey from Punjab House where he stayed overnight on his way to Lahore via GT Road.
He began his rally from Islamabad and could only reach Rawalpindi in 12 hours, which is just 20 kms from the capital.
'Insult to voters'
In his late night address to workers who had gathered in huge numbers at Committee Chowk, Nawaz Sharif said the Supreme Court's decision to depose him last month was a "joke" and an insult to voters. He sought people’s promise to get their mandate respected. He said that he did not want their support for his reinstatement but for changing the destiny of the country.
He paid rich tributes to the army personnel who had been martyred on Wednesday. “They are Pakistan’s heroes and deserve our love and respect.” He said that the decision against him was an insult of the mandate given to his government by the people of Pakistan saying the world and the Pakistani nation had not accepted it.
He questioned the gathering of the people if they would permit anyone to end the government in seconds which was elected with millions of votes. “We have to change Pakistan where the mandate of people should be respected,” he said and added that he wanted support of people for the development of Pakistan and strengthening of democracy.
Without naming Sheikh Rasheed, he said, “Some people say that Pindi is their city but I want to say that it is the city of Nawaz Sharif. I have received unprecedented love in this city.” He said, “It is a historic fact that major decisions come from Rawalpindi.”
He said that the love shown by the people of Rawalpindi reflected that they had not accepted the decision against him. He said that the people’s huge gathering was a referendum here. “I want to ask you whether the decision was correct,” he said. People chanted “No, No.”
He asked whether he committed any corruption or he was involved in plundering.Former prime minister pointed out that judges had also said there was no charge of corruption against him. “When no corruption charge was found, I was disqualified for not taking salary from my son,” he said adding now history would decide whether the decision was correct or wrong as it would remember the verdict.
“This is insult to the mandate given to me. This has not happened for the first time as I have also faced this situation in the past,” he said.Nawaz Sharif said during the last four years, they had ended loadshedding and terrorism. He said that development in the country had touched new heights and there was a lot of investment coming to Pakistan.
“Had my government not been ended, unemployment could have been done away with in the next two to three years,” he said. He said he was disqualified because he did not receive salary from his son’s company saying the world had also not accepted the decision against him.
“The country has been witnessing the same situation for the last 70 years,” saying no prime minister could complete his or her tenure. He asked the people whether they were not elected representatives of the people of Pakistan. He said that the country would no more like this joke with democracy. “I have no greed for power, what I want to see this nation as the best nation where investment should come and youth get employment,” he said.
He took the pledge from people that they would not allow votes and mandate to be disrespected and insulted in future.He also took the pledge from the people that they would support him in changing the destiny of Pakistan and the Pakistani nation.
Referring to the return of Maulana Tahirul Qadari to Pakistan, he said that Maulvi had again reached here saying that dharna people and the Maulvi had made Islamabad hostage.
Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack on the van of a news channel, saying it should not happen as it was not the policy of his party.
Route to Lahore
The epic journey which is being dubbed by the supporters of the PML-N as 'game changer' in the political field of Pakistan after his disqualification by the apex court will pass through 15 National Assembly (NA) constituencies to reach NA-120 from where he was elected an MNA in the 2013 general elections.
Out of these 15 NA constituencies that fall in the route of the cavalcade, fourteen constituencies were won by the ruling party and only one NA-105 was grabbed by former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The rally which started from the Murree Road and first reached NA-52 (Rawalpindi III) from where former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was elected in the last general elections. Then the caravan entered NA-51 (Rawalpindi II), the constituency of Raja Muhammad Javed Ikhlas who is a staunch supporter of the PML-N and the Sharif family.
They will further travel towards Gujjar Khan and Sohawa and reach NA-62 (Jhelum I) which is also a stronghold of the PML-N from where Chaudhry Khadim Hussain was elected in 2013.
The caravan will cross Dina and Jhelum and move towards Sara-e-Alamgir to enter the area falling in NA-107 (Gujrat-IV). Chaudhry Abid Raza of the PML-N is the MNA in this constituency and a quite active political worker.
The cavalcade will then reach NA-106 (Gujrat III), the constituency of Chaudhry Jaffer Iqbal.
Then comes the constituency NA-105 (Gujrat II) that is the only one in the route of this caravan from where the candidate from the party other than the PML-N was elected. Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was elected from this constituency in 2013.
The caravan would then pass through NA-101 Gujranwala VII (Justice (retd) Iftikhar Ahmad Cheema), NA-97 Gujranwala III (Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk), NA-96 Gujranwala II (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan), NA-98 Gujranwala IV (Mian Tariq Mehmood) and NA-99 Gujranwala V (Rana Umar Nazir Khan).
It will travel through Sadoke, Muredke and Kala Shah Kaku and reach NA-131 Sheikhupura I (Rana Afzal Hussain) before entering NA-132 Sheikhupura II (Rana Tanvir Hussain).
The participants of the caravan will then travel from Ferozwala towards NA-118 Lahore I (Muhammad Riaz Malik) after which it would pass through Shahdara to reach the final destination NA-120.
