The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may not be the leader of the political party. He was removed from the prime minister six months back after he was accused of corruption.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan says that a person disqualified cannot be the head of any political party. Nawaz Sharif’s party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) had made a change in the law after which Nawaz Sharif could remain the head of the political party even after being disqualified for public posts. The order of the Supreme Court has now made the law unnecessary.
Nawaz Sharif is the only leader of Pakistan who has held the record three times as the Prime Minister. For the first time he was a PM from November 1990 to July 1993. The second time he took office in February 1997 and became Prime Minister till the coup in 1999. After winning the general elections in 2013, he got the prime minister’s post.
For the first time, Nawaz Sharif was recognized nationally as a statesman in the initial round of military ruler General Zia ul Haq. He was Chief Minister of Punjab province from 1985 to 1990. Earlier in the provincial government, he took charge of the finance minister.
After the death of Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, his party was divided into two factions of the Pakistan Muslim League (Pagara faction). A faction led by Prime Minister Mohammed Khan Junjo was then in the hands of Jia’s supporters Nawaz Sharif.
The Supreme Court has canceled the ticket of all the candidates elected by Nawaz Sharif for the Senate election. The Supreme Court has said in its order that its verdict should be deemed effective from July 28, 2017. This was the day when Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for the post of Prime Minister and he had to leave the post.
In the Supreme Court, Judge Shakib Nisar passed the order immediately after hearing the 17 petitions challenging the changes made in the law. The bench of three judges heard the case.
Faisal Chaudhary, counsel for one of the 17 petitions, said, “I think the candidates can still contest but not as an independent candidate, but as a party candidate for Nawaz Sharif.” Nawaz Sharif had said that he was removed from the post as a political conspiracy. He and his party have launched a lot of fight against the judiciary in recent times.
PML N is in the majority in the National Assembly and after the March 3 election, it was expected to get a majority in the Senate. After the majority in both the Houses, after changing the law for Sharif’s party, after the election this year, the way of making Prime Minister again becomes clear.
Nawaz Sharif had been prime minister twice before, but both times he was removed from the post in the middle of the term. The Supreme Court has stayed the elections for the Senate on March 3. The Supreme Court has termed all decisions taken after Nawaz Sharif’s re-election as party chief was declared invalid. Supreme Court Chief Justice Shakib Nisar has ordered, “The EC is directed to remove the name of Nawaz Sharif from all documents as the head of PMLN.”
