‘Why shouldn’t I question the verdict?’: Imran also terms verdict weak, says Nawaz

KOT MOMIN: Those who do not respect the people's vote will not be respected in return, said PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday.

Nawaz once again questioned the basis of his disqualification by the Supreme Court, saying prominent lawyers disagreed with the verdict. He said why shouldn’t he question the decision to disqualify him when Imran Khan, who filed the petition which led to his disqualification, had admitted that the verdict against him [Nawaz] was weak. "Now tell me what the worth of this judgment is," he added.

Nawaz was addressing the party supporters after he met the family of late MPA Tahir Sindhu in Kot Momin and offer condolences over his demise. The three-time ousted prime minister termed the decision of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to not allow the PML-N candidates to contest the Senate elections from the party's platform as rigging.

"This is unfair. This is what's being meted out to the largest political party in the country," he said, adding that he was not the one to back down. Nawaz asked his supporters to promise that they would stand with him in his fight for Pakistan. "They're trying to kick me out, but the people are bringing me back in," he said, adding that "this is the fight for Pakistan's survival, for your rights, and we will win this fight".

"After removing me as prime minister, they didn't stop there. They used that as a basis to remove me as PML-N president," said Nawaz who was recently restrained by the Supreme Court from holding any party office. "They don't care about the millions of voters," he remarked.

He asked whether the people's votes were respected in Pakistan. "I have taken the first step, now you have to walk with me," he said. Talking about the achievements of his government, Nawaz said the petrol price was much lower during his tenure as prime minister. On the occasion, he described Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as brilliant partners.