The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) applauded the historic ruling by the Supreme Court (SC) that terminated the lifetime disqualification of legislators under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.
After extensive consideration, the Pakistani Supreme Court ruled that parliamentarians could no longer be permanently disqualified from holding office and that anyone found to be disqualified under Article 62 (1)(f) could not be permanently prevented from holding office.
The supreme court overturned its decision in the Samiullah Baloch case and reinstated its previous ban on politicians ever standing for office, giving political heavyweights hoping to run in the polls on February 8 more optimism.
A six-to-one majority was reached by the seven-member larger bench, which was led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and included Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya Afridi, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Musarrat Hilali. Justice Yahya dissented from his fellow judges and supported the earlier ruling of the supreme court.
“Nawaz upheld, injustice against Nisar disregarded”
The Nawaz-led party’s Central Secretary Information, Marriyum Aurangzeb, hailed the recent decision, calling it “a step towards restoration of constitutional sanity”.
“History has restored Nawaz Sharif’s honor and vindicated him, while Saqib Nisar’s short-lived act of vengeance has been dishonorably discarded,” the statement read.
According to Marriyum, the lifelong disqualification clause was designed with the specific intention of punishing and permanently barring the “longest-serving prime minister from national politics.”
The highest level of offense in the Islamic republic, she continued, was “the architects of this sinister provision in the law should be held accountable for adulterating the constitution of Pakistan.”
The former federal minister stated: “Let the true representatives of Pakistanis could not be eliminated from the political landscape due to the ‘conspiratorial nefarious designs of a few individuals.”
Marriyum emphasized that in order to guarantee that no one would ever dare violate the Constitution for political purposes, strict penalties must be established.
