KABUL - Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday resigned from his post after the country Supreme Court (SC) disqualified him from holding his office, a media report said.
“Nawaz Sharif, despite having “strong reservations” on the SC’s verdict, has stepped down from his post as the premier,” his office said.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan apex court disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over corruption charges disclosed against him in Panama Papers last year.
In a unanimous judgment, the judges ruled that Nawaz Sharif had been dishonest to parliament and the courts and could not be deemed fit for his office, according to Dawn.
A five-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa announced the decision and ordered a fresh investigation into the Sharif family’s wealth by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The verdict is expected to exacerbate the political uncertainty prevailing in Pakistan since the Panama Papers leaks revealed the Sharif family had allegedly used offshore companies to acquire foreign assets worth millions of dollars, including expensive flats in a posh London neighborhood, a media report said.
The Supreme Court also disqualified finance minister Ishaq Dar, a top leader of the ruling PML-N who is related to Sharif by marriage, and Captain Mohammad Safdar, the husband of Maryam Nawaz, from their seats in Parliament. (Pajhwok)