Judicial vendetta against me in battle of democracy versus tyranny: Nawaz

Ousting of elected governments will come to an end, former premier tells American publication

In an exclusive interview to the Wall Street Journal, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has accused the judiciary of pursuing a "vendetta" against him in a "battle of democracy versus tyranny".

Sharif told the American publication the nation's protracted struggle for democracy was in peril with general elections around the corner. Sympathisers of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) accuse state institutions of operating in tandem to oust him. Panamagate proceedings that led to his ouster present a significant step towards holding the elected accountable, his critics posit.



Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency president Ahmed Bilal Mehboob told the WSJ that the anti-PML-N manoeuvres of the judiciary and the military had compromised the credibility of the forthcoming elections. “The institutions perceiving themselves as saviors of the system are in fact the destruction of the system,” said Mehboob. “If institutions start interfering in each other’s work, it will lead to an anarchic situation.”

A March, 2018 Gallop Pakistan survey showed that the PML-N still enjoyed a double-digit lead over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Speaking on trial proceedings Sharif said, "The case is very hollow, but if they are determined to convict me, I have hardly any choice in that."



While it is said that Sharif can only avoid being imprisoned by fleeing abroad, the deposed premier told the publication he was ready to be placed behind bars. "I will stand up and fight this battle in the country, and I’m absolutely sure that the rule of law will win, the constitution will emerge victorious. And the toppling of governments, the ousting of elected governments and prime ministers, will come to an end," Sharif told the WSJ.

“They want to deprive me and my party from having a level playing field” ahead of the election, he said. “But I’m sure that the people of this country will not let it happen.”