Pakistan lifts lifetime bans on convicts, facilitating return of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif
Published on: January 11, 2024.
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Pakistan’s Supreme Court has made a significant decision regarding lifetime bans on contesting elections for individuals with past convictions. Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa announced on Monday that these lifetime bans are now scrapped, opening the door for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to potentially become prime minister for the fourth time.
Sharif’s political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is currently seen as a frontrunner in the upcoming election scheduled for Feb. 8. This is due to his main rival, former prime minister Imran Khan, being imprisoned and ineligible to participate in the polls for the next five years.
In 2017, Sharif was found guilty of dishonest practices, resulting in a ruling from the Supreme Court that barred individuals found guilty under certain constitutional provisions, including Sharif, from contesting elections for life. Although Sharif was not directly involved in the recent case filed by other banned politicians, the verdict now allows him to participate in the upcoming polls as more than five years have passed since his 2017 conviction.
Chief Justice Isa stated in his ruling that the ban on contesting elections for life was beyond the scope of the court’s authority.
However, Imran Khan, 71, who leads the party that won the previous elections in 2018, will not benefit from this ruling as it only abolishes lifetime bans. This means that Khan will remain disqualified until 2028.
Overall, this decision by Pakistan’s Supreme Court has significant implications for the upcoming elections and creates a more level playing field for political candidates.
Source: [Zawya](https://www.zawya.com)
