Islamabad: Nawaz Sharif was today re-elected as the president of the ruling PML-N and the ousted Pakistan prime minister immediately demanded that those who disqualified him should respect the people's mandate and democracy.

Sharif, 67, had to step down as the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after he was disqualified as the PM by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers scandal.

Addressing a gathering of party members at the Convention Centre here, Sharif said his supporters kept reelecting him to power despite his ousters from the office. He said the party members knew the reasons behind his disqualification as PM.

The PML-N yesterday took full advantage of its position as the ruling party as President Mamnoon Hussain signed the controversial Election Act 2017 into law hours after it was bulldozed through the National Assembly amid pandemonium on the opposition benches, the Dawn reported.

Under The Representation of Peoples Act 1976, a disqualified person could not hold office of a party. The law was passed to allow the party to re-elect Sharif as its head, on the eve of a party convention called for the express purpose of electing Sharif to the post.

Sharif in his address to his supporters, thanked the people for repealing the law which barred disqualified politicians from holding office in a party. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi termed Sharif's return as party president a “historic day”. — PTI

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