It shameful for a prime minister to remain in office once his own cabinet begins discussing his resignation, Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah said in a press conference on Thursday.

He accused the ruling party of moving towards a confrontation with "national institutions", saying, "A lot of damage has been done by the way you [PML-N] have tried to malign institutions, which will take a lot of time to repair."

"It is shameful for the sitting prime minister of Pakistan to be holding a work visa and getting salary from a small country," he said, referring to a finding in the joint investigation team's report, which claims the PM was employed in the United Arab Emirates even after being elected in 2013.

It is no more a matter of Article 62-63, the opposition leader said. "The issue is now about the criminal acts that have been committed — you misused the Representation of People Act and submitted false documents."

He also said that members of the Sharif family were trying to mislead the courts and that the PM had lost his right to remain in office "even for a minute."

PM should step down, insists Imran

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday reiterated his demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying the premier has lost all moral grounds to retain office.

"Democracy is a system under which government is run on the basis of moral, not physical authority" whereas the prime minister has lost all moral ground to retain office, he said while addressing a press conference on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health sector.

Terming the prime minister an ally of India, he said that Indian authorities fear that the army would become stronger if PM Sharif steps down.

Citing reports in a section of the Indian media, Imran Khan said that the Indian authorities want Nawaz Sharif to complete his term as it suits their interests.

Khan avoided commenting on the presser of Jawed Hashmi in which he had levelled allegations against the PTI chairman.