Pakistan's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif resigns after court verdict

Nawaz Sharif has resigned as prime minister of Pakistan following a decision by the country's Supreme Court to disqualify him from office.

The ruling came after a probe into his family's wealth following the 2015 Panama Papers leake that linked Mr Sharif's children to offshore companies. Though he consistently denied any wrongdoing in the case.

The five judges reached a unanimous verdict in the Islamabad court. "Following the verdict, Nawaz Sharif has resigned from his responsibilities as prime minister," a spokesman for Mr Sharif's office said in a statement.

The court has recommended anti-corruption cases against several individuals, including Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam and her husband Safdar, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and others.