Nawaz rejects Turkish-style clash among institutions

Former PM tells BBC it is wrong impression he could not get along with any army chief

Reiterating his revolve to continue his ‘campaign’ to protect the sanctity of people’s mandate, deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said it is not his responsibility alone to prevent a clash among state institutions.

“It is not just I, who should be against a clash among institutions. Everybody should be against such a clash.  Actually no such situation should emerge and no clash should take place. [But] this is not my sole responsibility; it is everyone’s responsibility,” Sharif said while talking to BBC on Thursday.

The former PM was responding to a query as to whether Pakistan was moving towards a clash between institutions like Turkey where people came forward to push back the army when their mandate was disrespected. “I am not in favour of such a clash between institutions,” he added.

In his first interview after being pronounced disqualified by the Supreme Court on July 28, Sharif reiterated his resolve that he would not let ‘sanctity of people’s mandate’ disrespected and continue his struggle towards this goal.



He said he will continue his struggle for the respect of the vote. “It is not a protest, it is a campaign [and] I am not doing this to once more get elected and become the PM. The seat of PM is not a bed of roses; it is a bed of thorns. And to become a PM is a sacrifice in itself.”

Sharif refuted the impression that he has been at odds with all the chiefs of army. “There are certainly some [generals] I had good relations with. I never violated the Constitution and have followed the law. I do not agree with anyone who does not believe in the supremacy of law and the Constitution.”

“When Pervez Musharraf imposed martial law [in Oct 1999], he was against me. Some of his associates were against me but the rest of the army was not against me. The rest of the army was actually unaware that martial law had been imposed,” he added

Sharif said what the people at the helm – particularly military dictators – had been doing with the country was a recipe for its destruction.



“We have diagnosed the disease which is the root cause of all the difficulties in the country. We need to decide the direction of the country and this will be possible only when we respect the sanctity of the vote.”

To a question about PTI chief Imran Khan, he said it was better not to reply to any of his comments. The former premier also rejected reports that he had sought any help from PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. “I have neither asked him for anything nor I intend to,” he added.

As to the proposal of Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani for a dialogue among state institutions, he said this dialogue was the need of the day. “I have asked some of my friends to coordinate with Rabbani and explore what plan he has in his mind with regard to the dialogue.”

Sharif said the PML-N had signed the Charter of Democracy and never once violated it since. “There has been one violation and that was NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] that was signed between Musharraf and some parties. That should not have happened.”

He said the Panamagate case continued for four months and then a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed. “Everyone knows the way it was formed. Most of its members were [my] bitter opponents [but] my whole family appeared before it.”

To a question about his disqualification, he said, “Four years back the PML-N formed a government with a clear mandate. The PTI stood third but it started alleging rigging. And then Tahirul Qadri joined them.”

He said the 2014 sit-ins by the PTI and Qadri’s PAT jammed the wheel of progress and the protestors mobbed the PM House, parliament building and other institutions.

“They said we will tie a rope around the neck of the PM and drag him out of the PM House. You must not have seen such things even in dictatorships, let alone democracy.

“Just as the dharna ended, Panama [Papers] issue surfaced. They again tried to stage a dharna. This all affected the CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] badly. Despite all this, the country has made progress,” he added.