A "ghost" which haunts Pakistan is behind the ouster of Nawaz Sharif, PML-N leader Senator Pervaiz Rashid said in an interview to Samaa TV which aired on Friday.

Rashid later elaborated that he was referring to "a particular mindset which needs to change for Pakistan to prosper."

Rashid, who was fired from his post as the federal information minister following an inquiry into the Dawn story case, made the remark while responding to a question on whether Sharif's ouster was the outcome of a conspiracy.

"It [the ghost] is present in politicians, political minds, and some institutions," he said, refusing to name any institution in particular but saying the ghost belonged to Pervez Musharraf, former president and military ruler.

He also accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) of being "a mere pawn" in the conspiracy hatched by those under Musharraf's influence, and criticised it for not reflecting on what that entails.

The ghost and its influence aside, Rashid maintained that the PML-N had endured.

"Whenever prime ministers were sent home before this [Nawaz's recent disqualification], people wouldn't even remember their names in the next few months," Rashid said; adding that, however, there was an immediate public response when Nawaz was deposed.

Rashid avoided answering a question asking why he was removed from office, but said that his "sacrifice" was for democracy.

"If I had to sacrifice myself for democracy, I was happy to do it. My prime minister [Nawaz Sharif] also believes in the same ideology, which is why he acted with restraint [after his ouster]," he said.

The former minister also took a surprising jab at one of his former colleagues on the treasury benches.

"Decisions have been taken against us while the interior [minister] was in power; JITs were created and 'Whatsapps' [private messages] were also exchanged while the interior [minister] was there," he said referring to former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar.

The joint investigation team (JIT) reference seemed to be a callback to the PML-N's allegations that a biased team was deliberately put together to influence the investigation of the deposed prime minister and his family on charges of financial misappropriation.

Similarly, the 'Whatsapps' comment seemed to refer to the controversy surrounding the revelation that some members of the JIT had been 'handpicked' by the Supreme Court Registrar through messages sent from the private messaging service.

The Supreme Court had strongly rubbished the allegation that the registrar had been acting on someone's directions, saying that the messages were actually sent on the orders of the three-member bench and that the names recommended were based on an assessment of the ability of the candidates who had been nominated for the JIT.

The senator's statements come at a time when Sharif and the PML-N have been openly criticising the Supreme Court's Panamagate verdict, repeatedly suggesting that a conspiracy is afoot against democracy, and portraying themselves as on a 'mission' to protect the sanctity of the ballot from forces acting against democracy.

In a recent interview, Sharif had made similar remarks about Musharraf's supposed 'influence', saying: “When Musharraf imposed martial law, he and a few of his [fellow] generals were against me — not the entire army. The army was not even aware that martial law had been imposed."

"Whatever has been done with this country, mainly by dictators, is a recipe for disaster," he had added.

Nisar confronts Rashid over his remarks

Rashid's statement about the interior ministry prompted the former interior minister to issue a strong-worded response.

"Don't know why some people put the blame of their faults on the interior ministry. It seems that they are obsessed with the interior ministry and the former interior minister," Chaudhary Nisar was quoted as saying by his spokesperson.

In his statement, Nisar also said that Rashid should have elaborated on what type of help he was expecting from the interior ministry.