ISLAMABAD, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday kept on criticism at his ouster by the country's top court and said he was not allowed to complete his tenure for third time.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified Nawaz Sharif for holding any public office on July 28 over corruption charges. However, he dismissed the charges as "politically-motivated" and insisted he had never been involved in corruption.
Nawaz Sharif, who is also chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party, is leading a rally of thousands of supporters up to Lahore, the capital of Punjab, and his party's political base.
He spoke to public gatherings on the main Grand Trunk Road in which he criticized the court verdict to remove him.
"This is very strange that the people elected me for third time as the prime minister but I was removed for the third time last month. This is a joke with the people's mandate," Nawaz Sharif told a big crowd in Gujrat, a main city in Punjab province.
The opposition parties are critical at Sharif's rally and described it as pressure tactics on the courts. They have alleged that government money is being spent on Sharif's political activity, the charges denied by the ruling party.
A five-member bench of the apex court had asked the country's anti-corruption body to initiate cases against Nawaz Sharif.
Nawaz Sharif's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, will contest election on the parliament seat that fell vacant due to the disqualification of her spouse. Kulsoom submitted nomination papers with the officials of the polls body in Lahore on Friday. The election on the National Assembly seat will be held next month.
It was earlier announced that Nawaz Sharif's younger brother Shehbaz Sharif will contest election on Nawaz Sharif's seat to become the next prime minister, however, the PML-N leaders reportedly later changed mind and fielded Kulsoom.
Shehbaz Sharif is the chief minister of Punjab province and the party does not want to disturb the present system in the most populous province, which plays key role in formation of governments in the centre.
Sharif's PML-N party still enjoys support in the parliament and the party senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi replaced Nawaz Sharif after he was elected with a clear majority vote.
