Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court declared former PM Nawaz Sharif ineligible to head his own party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and announced that all decisions taken by him as party president stood null and void. The landmark judgment was another major blow to the ruling PML-N since Sharif’s disqualification as the country’s PM by the top court on July 28 last year in the Panama Papers case verdict, related to his family’s undeclared offshore assets and wealth.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar said all acts, including issuance of Senate tickets by Nawaz Sharif, stood illegal. Polls for the upper house of parliament are scheduled to be held on March 3. “All steps taken, orders passed, directions given and documents issued, by Nawaz after the July 28 verdict will be deemed nullified,” the verdict said.
In the Panamagate verdict, the court had barred Sharif from holding public office, stating that he was not “honest” and “truthful” in discharging his obligations as a lawmaker. The Panama Papers judgment had also made Sharif ineligible to head his party. The ruling PML-N, however, had managed to amend the Constitution, passing the Election Act of 2017 from parliament, and paved the way for the ex-PM to become PML-N president. The amendment was challenged by the opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, in the SC.
In its judgment, the court declared Article 17 of the Elections Act - which allowed Sharif to retake his party’s leadership - null and void, and subsequently ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to remove him as president of the PML-N. The Chief Justice said it was mandatory for a party head to fulfill the requirements of Articles 62 and 63 (related to qualification and disqualification for membership of parliament), as a party head is powerful and political parties control the government.
