Election Commission Approves Nawaz-Sharif Nomination Despite Lifetime Disqualification Uncertainty

Election Commission Approves Nawaz-Sharif Nomination Despite Lifetime Disqualification Uncertainty

Sabiha Rajpoot | December 26, 2023 | 09:58 PM IST | Pakistan News, Politics | Follow on Google News

Election Commission Approves Nawaz Sharif-Nomination Despite Lifetime Disqualification Uncertainty.image/reauters

Election Commission Approves Nawaz Sharif-Nomination Despite Lifetime Disqualification Uncertainty

The election commission has granted approval to Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers, despite lingering uncertainty regarding his eligibility for the upcoming general elections on February 8. This decision comes in light of a previous ‘life-long disqualification’ imposed on him by the apex court. Amjad Pervez, the lawyer representing PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, announced on Tuesday that the Election Commission has accepted Sharif’s nomination papers for the NA-130 National Assembly seat in Lahore.

Sharif, who returned to the country in October after spending four years in self-exile in London for medical reasons, faces no objections to his candidature, according to Pervez. The 73-year-old Sharif plans to contest elections from both Lahore and Mansahra city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing concerns about Sharif’s lifetime disqualification, Pervez asserted that the disqualification has ended following Sharif’s acquittal in corruption references against him. Barrister Zafarullah Khan argued that Sharif is eligible to participate in the elections, pointing to an amendment in the Elections Act made by the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government. This amendment to Section 232 limits disqualifications to five years.

Contrarily, senior lawyer Raja Inam Ameen Minhas contended that the amended law does not benefit Sharif, as it was not retrospectively applied to Section 232. He explained that, since the amendment involves penal consequences, it cannot address past matters. Another senior lawyer, Kashif Ali Malik, emphasized that the lifelong interpretation in the Elections Act cannot override or defeat constitutional provisions.

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Sabiha Rajpoot

Sabiha Rajpoot, a young journalist, having BA- Journalism degree, writes on different scenarios. Sabiha is also a doctor degree at DHMS.