ISLAMABAD - Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has claimed he was ousted from power for trying to establish civilian supremacy and opening a treason case against former military dictator Pervez Musharraf.

Calling the opposition protests in 2014 a part of the establishment’s efforts to either subdue or dislodge him, he accused a former intelligence chief of asking him to resign or go on a long leave.

The comments made on Wednesday by the besieged PML-N supreme leader are likely to escalate tension in the civil-military relations ahead of the general elections due in last week of July.

Until now the hounded and humiliated three-time premier had only been saying that he had many secrets in his chest, and it looks as if he has finally laid his heart bare.

Sharif issued the string of allegations while concluding his testimony in the Islamabad Accountability Court, then in a press talk outside the court and later at a press conference in the Punjab House.

Speaking at the Punjab House, he termed his attempts to establish civilian supremacy and beginning a trial of former General-President Pervez Musharraf the main reasons behind all his ordeals – his ouster from PM House, loss of party headship and the NAB cases he and his family are facing.

In a tacit criticism on the military establishment he said he was facing hardships only because he wanted complete hold of foreign and internal policies of elected representatives which is not acceptable to certain quarters and forces of status quo.

But a defiant Sharif, who was disqualified by the Supreme Court in July last year, made it loud and clear that he would not budge an inch from his stand of establishing civilian supremacy and sanctity of vote.

The former premier said he has great respect for the armed forces but he is against the military rule [be it direct or indirect], wherein one or a few generals seize power and enjoy it while the entire army pays the price of their illegal acts.

The PML-N Quaid also recalled that when he decided to try General Musharraf under Article 6 for high treason he was advised from many quarters not to go for it as it would only add to his difficulties.

He said that even Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari along with another senior leader visited him and suggested to get Musharraf’s 2007 acts ratified from the parliament, but he refused to budge in the face of these advice-cum-threats.

Nawaz Sharif maintained that he wanted to see civilian supremacy and control over the country’s foreign and internal policies keeping in view the national interest but this was not acceptable to certain quarters. Since his assuming the office, these forces remained active to destabilise his government and created hurdles in the smooth sailing of the political government, he added.

He said the list of his “crimes” included raising questions on the murder of first Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan, hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, assassination of Benazir Bhutto and his scathing criticism on superior judiciary for its questionable role wherein the acts of dictators were given indemnity.

He also said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s joint sit-in in federal capital that continued for well over four months was actually to destabilise his government. He revealed that even a head of an intelligence agency sent him a message to step down or go on a long leave to dilute the soaring tension.

“The purpose of the 2014 sit-in was to pressurise me. Planners of the sit-in thought I would come under pressure,” he said, adding that all the events of that period are in front of the people.

Nawaz Sharif also linked his disqualification in Panama Papers case, which earned him the titles of godfather and Sicilian mafia, with the efforts to remove him from the political scene. He said he was even called a traitor but he need not get a certificate of patriotism from anyone because he is the son of the soil and will live and die here.

As the decision of minus-one formula had been taken [by the establishment], he was ousted on the ‘flimsy’ charge of holding Aqama (residence certificate) and till now the corruption of not even a single penny was traced out against him, the ousted PM maintained.

He upheld his earlier statement that the Avenfield reference was filed against him as reciprocal punishment for taking legal action against Musharraf despite being warned not to do so. “I was sent messages that the treason case against Musharraf would create problems for me.... Challenges and pressure mounted on me after the Musharraf treason case,” he remarked.

Nawaz lamented: “It is not easy to bring a dictator to justice and no law can place a dictator in handcuffs.... I have never been allowed to fulfil a constitutional term. He continued, “I have said this before and will say it again that decisions should be taken by the people.”

The former premier added: “I have great respect for the armed forces of Pakistan.” But he said he was against such a scenario where “one or two generals decide to violate the Constitution or seize power and a few generals enjoy that decision but the entire armed forces pay the price.”

Claiming that he had strengthened Pakistan’s defence, Nawaz said: “I advised the then army chief to carry out nuclear tests within 17 days. I was offered $5 billion to not conduct the atomic bomb tests but I did what was best for Pakistan.” He added, “Pakistan’s respect is important not billions and had I not carried out the nuclear tests India’s military might would have been established in the region.”

Nawaz said that people of Pakistan knew the strength and truth of the cases against him and repeated the nine questions he had put before the lawyers’ fraternity at a function wherein he had highlighted the flaws and lacunae in the apex court trial and verdict against him.

Earlier, while concluding his statement before the Accountability Court in the Avenfield reference, the former premier took the opportunity to pour his heart through a detailed answer when was asked by the court that “why the instant case is filed against you?”

He said that the three references, filed against him by the NAB in the light of the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case, were ‘in response’ to the high treason case initiated by him against Musharraf. He said the references as well as the sit-ins against his government were a punishment to him for taking legal action against the former military dictator despite being warned not to do so.

“I was asked not to take action against Musharraf because by doing so, I can face difficulties but I had ignored such threat-type advice,” he said, adding: “I had realised soon after the launch of high treason case that besides the constitution, democracy, parliamentary supremacy, rule of law and mandate of Pakistani nation, holding a dictator in front of court is not an easy task.”

“Before filing of the treason case, I had met Imran Khan and he never demanded my resignation. But surprisingly after Musharraf was booked, he met Tahirul Qadri in London where they decided to stage a sit-in against my government”, Nawaz Sharif added.

He further claimed that the head of an intelligence agency had told him to “resign or go on a long leave”, adding that such threats by a subordinate to a superior civilian were not issued even in third world countries.

“The demand of my resignation or going on long leave was based on a perception that by siding me from the way, it would be easy to wind up the trial against Musharraf,” he held.

The former premier said that it is not only necessary for the constitution and democracy but it is also a prerequisite for sanctity of the armed forces that if any person suspends the Constitution then he should be held accountable.

“Only a few people in the armed forces staged a coup but the entire institution has to pay the cost,” he maintained.

The PML-N leader lauded the sacrifices rendered by armed forces and pointed out that he had increased the defence budget and also refused $5 billion for not conducting the nuclear tests in the 90s.

“I respect my armed forces and I know this fact that a weak army is basically a weak defence of the country”, he said.

He informed the court: “The reason behind institution of false, baseless and fabricated cases against me is that I declined to not initiate proceedings against Musharraf, I was demanding civil supremacy, and I wanted foreign and domestic policies to be in the hand of the elected representatives.”

Nawaz said that he had already been punished once for his unwavering stance on civil supremacy: “Nineteen years ago, I was detained in torture cells, I was sentenced to life imprisonment, I was handcuffed and jetted off. Was there a Panama at that time? The answer is simply no. At that time, too I was demanding for the same things.”

The PML-N supreme leader reiterated that the allegations levelled against him are baseless and asked accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir to “make a just decision since you and me both will appear before Allah Almighty one day.”

Earlier while talking to journalists outside the Accountability court, the former premier Nawaz Sharif said that the world is endorsing his narrative and people from all over Pakistan are enthusiastically supporting his stance.

Nawaz Sharif said that it was a rare scene at the PML-N’s Chistian public procession where the mammoth crowd was chanting enthusiastically, “give respect to vote”.

The former prime minister underlined that general election of 2018 will be held on the slogan for ‘give respect to vote’.

He said it is very regretful that Naeem-ul-Haq slapped Daniyal Aziz in a live TV show and Imran Khan laid out foundation of this culture in politics of Pakistan. He said that this culture was identity of PTI and Imran Khan is all responsible for this nonsense in politics of Pakistan.

To a query about a reported brawl between Jahangir Tareen and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Nawaz Sharif said one after other all the truth about reality of PTI are getting exposed. PTI parliamentarians get into scuffle with each other on the floor of the house in KP Assembly, Nawaz said. He also added that PTI leadership exposing its secrets, ethics and morality before the public. He said that five years performance of PTI in KP is before the public. They have nothing to take credit for their five years governance and delivered nothing on account of ‘Change’, said Nawaz Sharif.

He said PTI leadership cannot tell anything to be boastful of their five years performance and governance. He said they did nothing except staging sit-ins and dancing in the hope of raising Umpire’s finger.

Nawaz also underlined that PTI leadership in KP failed to make any mega developmental project. He also pointed out that PTI leadership had used to make claims for generation of 4,000MG electricity but they are failed to do so. He said where are the one billion trees and the 360 dams, saying they are ready to visit KP even on their own expenses to witness these projects.

Ta question, the ousted prime minister also stated that it is very sorrowful that newspapers and media owners are being threatened. All these things are being noted, said Nawaz Sharif.