Nawaz Sharif: All political parties in Pakistan united for upholding democracy

NEW YORK: Unfazed by the ongoing anti-government protests, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that all political parties in the country are united for upholding democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution.

Sharif said that those staging sit-ins against his government had made ambitious plans but the nation did not support them.

He said that the government is fully functional despite the protests while those opposing it had failed.

The Premier said that all political parties in the country are united for upholding democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution, Dawn newspaper reported.

Sharif was addressing the Pakistani community in New York after meeting United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon and other important international figures during his visit to the United States.

The prime minister said the attacks launched on the Parliament House and the Pakistan Television (PTV) network Headquarters were hardly similar to any of the attacks found in the country's history.

He said that his party participated in the 2013 general elections as an opposition party, adding that rigging allegations against the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) were baseless.

Sharif, who is currently here to attend the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, also said that the previous caretaker government was nominated by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), but his party won a landslide victory in the elections.

Cricketer-turned-politician and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Imran Khan, and fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have been agitating since August 14, demanding Sharif's ouster.

The PTI chief wants Sharif's ouster over alleged rigging in last year's general election which his party lost, while Qadri wants to bring a revolution in the country. But Sharif has refused to quit.