Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif announces resignation

Just hours after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled to oust Prime Minister Sharif, he announced his resignation.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on July 28 issued a ruling to disqualify Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar over corruption allegations.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Photo: Samaa TV.

Just hours after the Supreme Court's decision, Prime Minister Sharif announced his resignation.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan said that Mr Sharif is not eligible to be a member of the National Assembly and therefore he will have to step down as Prime Minister. The court also asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to launch a further investigation into the allegations against Mr Sharif.

In 2016, the court ordered an investigation into the Sharif family's overseas assets after opposition politicians warned of street protests following the Panama Papers leak.

Leaked documents from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca show that Mr Sharif's daughter and two sons owned several shell companies registered in the British Virgin Islands and used their names to buy property in the UK.

Following the court's decision, Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was also disqualified in connection with corruption allegations.

Mr. Dar is considered one of the most influential people in Prime Minister Sharif's cabinet because he helped bring Pakistan's economy out of the financial crisis after 2013./.

According to VOV