ISLAMABAD: In accordance with Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) barred Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the vice chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), from running for office for five years. This was reported by The News on Sunday.
The electoral authority has disqualified the senior politician from running in the general elections that are scheduled for next week on February 8 and any following elections, according to a notice that was sent out.
According to the notification, Qureshi was found guilty in the cipher case by the special court established under the Official Secrets Act. As a result, he was disqualified under Article 63 (1) (h) of the Constitution and sentenced to ten years of hard labor.
Concerning the case are claims that the previous prime minister leaked the contents of a covert cable that the nation’s envoy in Washington DC sent to the government of Ibad.
Section 232 of the Elections Act, 2017 disqualifies Qureshi as well, according to the ECP statement. The top PTI politician was a candidate for a National Assembly seat from Sindh’s NA-214 (Tharparkar) district, having filed his nomination papers.
Qureshi and his son Zain Qureshi’s nomination papers were turned down by the returning officer, but this month the Sindh High Court (SHC) appellate tribunal granted them permission to run.
Qureshi, who is from Multan, ran for two provincial assembly seats from NA-150 and NA-151 (Multan); however, his papers were denied.
“In accordance with the judgment dated January 30, 2024, rendered by the judge in Special Court (Official Secret) Camp Court at the Central Prison Rawalpindi in case No. 01 of 2023 titled “The State Versus Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi and Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi,” Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi has been found guilty under Sections 5(3)(a), 5 (1) (c) punishable under Sections 5 (3) (b) of OSA; (1)(d) punishable under Section 5 (3) (a) of the OSA, 1923 read with Section 34 PPC; convicted and sentenced under Section 34 PPC and punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term of ten years, guilty in light of charge under Section 9 read with Section 5 (3) (a) of OSA, 1923 and is convicted and sentenced u/s 5 (3) (a) of OSA, 1923 with rigorous imprisonment for a term of 10 years. All the supra mentioned sentences shall run concurrently,” says a notification issued by the ECP.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi has thus been declared ineligible in accordance with Section 232 of the Elections Act of 2017 and Article 63 (1)(h) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi is therefore ineligible to run in the general elections of 2024 and any following elections for a five-year period,” the statement continued.
