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Tens Of Thousands Greet Pakistan's Deposed Prime Minister In Lahore


Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (C) waves to supporters during a rally in Gujrat city in the eastern Punjab province on August 11.
Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (C) waves to supporters during a rally in Gujrat city in the eastern Punjab province on August 11.

A crowd numbering in the tens of thousands greeted Pakistan’s deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on August 12 as he arrived in his hometown of Lahore from Islamabad after a three-day protest drive.

The crowd was part of a massive protest that began on August 9 when Sharif launched what he called a “caravan of democracy” from Islamabad to Lahore.

Sharif’s long cavalcade has stopped overnight in three different cities since he began the journey.

He has given speeches along the way in which he criticized a decision by Pakistan’s Supreme Court that disqualified him from public office.

Sharif resigned from the prime minister’s post on July 28 after the court ruling over an investigation that concluded his family could not account for vast wealth it owns in offshore companies.

The investigation stemmed from the so-called Panama Papers leaks in April 2016, when documents from a Panama-based law firm revealed that three of Sharif's four children owned offshore companies and assets not shown on his family’s wealth statement.

The July court ruling marked the third time Sharif’s government was dismissed.

He previously was dismissed from office in 1993 and in 1999.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dawn.com

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