The Supreme Court is set to address the issue of continuance disqualification for lawgivers, which could have counteraccusations for Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz( PML- N) leader Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility to dispute the forthcoming general choices listed for February 8.
A seven- member larger bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, will hear the matter, fastening on contradictions in the Election Act, 2017 and a Supreme Court verdict. The case began from a solicitation filed by former PML- N parochial legislator Sardar Meer Badshah Khan Qaisrani challenging his continuance disqualification over a fake degree in 2007.
During a hail on December 11, 2023, Chief Justice Isa stressed the inconsistency between the Supreme Court’s judgment on continuance disqualification and the emendations made to the choices Act in 2017. The Supreme Court, in a 2018 judgment, had ruled that individualities disqualified under Composition 62( 1)( f) of the Constitution would face a continuance disqualification.
still, posterior emendations to the choices Act in 2017 by the Pakistan Democratic Movement( PDM) coalition reduced the disqualification period to five times retrospectively. This correction impacts politicians like Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Khan Tareen, both disqualified for life in 2017. The court’s decision on this matter may have significant consequences for Nawaz Sharif’s political future and eligibility to share in the forthcoming choices.