Nawaz Sharif Launches Defiant Procession

Farooq Naeem—AFP

Former prime minister leads rally to Lahore in a show of force to political opponents

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif led a defiant procession on Wednesday to his party’s stronghold in Lahore as thousands rallied along the route, weeks after he was deposed by the Supreme Court.

Supporters clogged the streets in Islamabad, waving flags and chanting political slogans as Sharif’s convoy headed south to the capital of Punjab province, where he hopes to bring tens of thousands into the streets in a show of force.

“The Supreme Court’s judgment to disqualify him is disputed, so people have not accepted it,” said Sharif supporter Arshad Iftikhar, a retired government official.

Thousands of police sealed off main streets in the capital and surrounding areas as fears lingered over security after a truck bomb exploded in Lahore on Monday, killing one person and injuring dozens.

Others lining the route voiced frustration with the political elite.

“Around 50 percent of the people here are those who have just come to watch the scene,” said bystander Nazakat Ali. “These politicians are not doing any good for the people.”

Sharif was the 15th prime minister in Pakistan’s 70-year history—roughly half of which has been spent under military rule—to be ousted before completing a full term. The top court sacked him last month after an investigation into corruption allegations against him and his family, bringing his historic third term in power to an unceremonious end and briefly plunging the nation into political uncertainty.

The controversy erupted last year with the publication of 11.5 million secret documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca documenting the offshore dealings of many of the world’s rich and powerful. Three of Sharif’s four children, including his daughter and presumptive political heir Maryam Nawaz, were implicated in the papers.

Fresh questions have arisen over how Sharif’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party plans to replace the ousted premier. The PMLN initially named his younger brother Shahbaz as his eventual successor, with the current Punjab chief minister set to contest an upcoming by-election to enter Parliament. But media reports this week said the party appeared to backtrack on the plans, saying the PMLN would likely keep newly elected Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in place until next year’s general elections.