Parliament to reverse my disqualification: Nawaz

MANSEHRA: Deposed prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Sunday sought the public support in the upcoming general election to repeal the Supreme Court verdict that disqualified him for life in the PanamaLeaks case.

"You have not accepted my disqualification by the Supreme Court. Vote for the PML-N candidates in the polls to annul this verdict through the National Assembly," he told an emotional crowd at the Cattle Market in Panodari area.

Nawaz Sharif, who came from Lahore by road to attend the public meeting because the inclement weather had disrupted the flight to Islamabad, said judges disqualified him but the people never accepted the verdict.

Referring to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, he said the 'Ladla' had been making baseless allegations against him. "I never considered Imran Khan and [PPP Co-chairman] Asif Ali Zardari as my competitors. I defeated them in the 2013 general election," maintained Nawaz Sharif.

He asked the masses to join hands with him to foil the conspiracies against the nation. Nawaz Sharif, who focused on his disqualification by the apex court in his 25-minute speech, said he was expelled from the office of the prime minister as he didn't receive salary from his son. "I was deposed for not receiving salary from my son," he remarked.

The PML-N leader reminded his audience that his government rooted out terrorism from the country and took steps to overcome the electricity crisis. In a veiled reference to the so-called 'establishment', the former prime minister said 'they' were after him and wanted to arrest him. However, he added he was optimistic that his supporters would thwart such conspiracies.

He said those chasing him would be pursued by the masses. Taking a dig at Imran Khan without naming him for having failed to deliver on his promise of change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nawaz Sharif said he drove to Mansehra from Lahore by road but didn't see any change when he entered Hazara through the Burhan Interchange.

"Come to Lahore or visit Punjab if you want to see change. You would come to know the meaning of change if our party was voted into power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," he argued. Nawaz Sharif said the Hazara Motorway, which was the gift of his government for the people, would be completed within a couple of months.

"People love me and I love the people of Mansehra. The Motorway project was launched under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor," he said. He added that on completion, the Motorway would bring prosperity and employment opportunities for the people.

Light rain followed by a windstorm hardly four hours before the arrival of Nawaz Sharif in Mansehra caused panic among the party workers who were organizing the public meeting, but they stayed put to welcome their leader. PML-N leader Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, the party's provincial president Amir Muqam and others were also present on the occasion.