Published 19:16 IST, September 20th 2020
Ex Pak PM Nawaz Sharif launches no-holds-barred attack on military, exposes sham democracy
In an embarrassment for the PTI government, former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif exposed the military establishment's total interference in the democratic process.
In a major embarrassment for the Imran Khan-led government on Sunday, former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif exposed the military establishment's complete interference in the democratic process. Addressing a conference of opposition parties in Islamabad via video conferencing, he lamented that the sanctity of people's vote has been always trampled upon by the Pakistani Army. To buttress his point, the PML(N) leader highlighted that not a single PM has been allowed to complete the 5-year tenure in Pakistan's history.
Launching a scathing attack on the military, Sharif indicated that the former ran a "parallel government" which was more powerful than the democratically elected government. He described this phenomenon as a "state above the state". According to him, the root cause of Pakistan's problems was the military's refusal to accept the writ of the elected representatives and the existence of a parallel government.
Ex-Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif remarked, "According to the Constitution, Pakistan’s democratic system is based on people’s choice. This is the principle in all democracies across the world. When the sanctity of the vote is not respected, then the democratic mandate is fake. By chance, if a representative of the people is elected, then he is first made powerless and then ousted. In the 73-year-old history of Pakistan, not a single PM was allowed to complete his full term. On average, every dictator ruled for 9 years while every PM could stay in office for only 2 years on an average."
"The reality is that in Pakistan, there is either martial law or a parallel government functions which is more powerful than the existing government. Once upon a time, former PM Yousuf Raza Gillani said, ‘There is a state within a state’ which cannot be tolerated. The sad part is now there is a state above the state. The root cause of our problems is the non-acceptance of elected representatives and the existence of a parallel government," he added.
'Our struggle is not against Imran Khan'
On this occasion, the former Pakistan PM also alleged that the 2018 General Election was rigged to prop up Imran Khan as the Prime Minister. Just a few days before the election, he and his daughter Maryam Nawaz who were leading the campaign for civilian supremacy were sentenced by an Accountability court on the charges of corruption. Moreover, polling agents of various parties were reportedly thrown out during the counting process, thus casting doubts on the legitimacy of the cricketer-turned-politician’s victory.
He stressed that the people responsible for the rigging would be held accountable in the future. Maintaining that the foremost priority of the opposition should be ousting the PTI-led government, he clarified that the struggle was not against Imran Khan. Hitting out at the military again, Sharif contended that the real fight was against forces that manipulated the election thereby "destroying the country". The PML(N) leader is currently out on bail after being convicted in a corruption case and has been undergoing medical treatment in London since November 2019.
He said, "Our foremost priority should be removing this selected government and this system. Our struggle is not against Imran Khan". "Today, our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated elections to bring an incapable man like him into power and thus, destroyed the country," he elaborated.
Updated 19:16 IST, September 20th 2020