Sharif given hero’s welcome in Lahore

Pakistan’s defiant ousted leader Nawaz Sharif was given a hero’s welcome yesterday as he completed a four-day rally with thousands of backers to show he retains strong support after his removal by the Supreme Court.Sharif addressed tens of thousands of followers on reaching his final destination at a massive public rally in Lahore as he vowed to reform the country’s judicial system.The homecoming rally started from the capital Islamabad on Thursday and covered 300km in four days.On his way, Sharif was given a warm welcome in every town where supporters showered rose petals and stampeded to touch and take selfies with his car.“I’ll initiate a national debate on how to ensure no prime minister is expelled like me,” Sharif told supporters.Sharif said he now wanted to change the country’s constitution so that no elected prime minister could be removed in future, although he would need the support of other parties in parliament as his party does not have two-thirds majority.The court ordered his removal on July 28 after an investigation into his family’s wealth found him guilty of hiding a small portion of his assets.Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a Sharif loyalist, replaced him earlier this month as prime minister.Sharif, whose third term as prime minister was cut short, criticised the judges for removing an “elected representative of the millions of people with one stroke of the pen in no time.”“I want to ask them why no prime minister in the 70-year history of Pakistan has not been able to complete a term,” Sharif said.