Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) is planning to challenge the ‘Electoral Reforms Bill, 2017’, being violative of the constitution, after its nod by the president. In this connection, the SCBA is scheduled to meet on October 7 in Peshawar, where besides other issues the Electoral Reforms Bill, 2017, will also be discussed.

Talking to the media at the Supreme Court on Monday, SCBA President Rasheed A Rizvi said the bill was an annulment of the constitution. He said the constitution could not be nullified by a subordinate legislation. He said this amendment would open many more avenues of corruption.

To questions, he said that allowing participation of fanatics in the guise of religious parties in election was alarming. He said that in recent by-election in NA-120 Lahore, some fanatics contested the election portraying themselves as political parties. “We have to draw distinction between religious political parties and the parties of fanatics.”

Referring to a judgement delivered by a five-member Supreme Court bench in 1994 in the case of Shafiur Rehman, he said no one could be disqualified forever. He said that disqualification under Article 62 was for five years, and added that where punishment or disqualification was not prescribed, the court could not introduce it on its own. He said the bill would provide a chance to Nawaz Sharif to reign over the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz even after the Supreme Court in Panama Papers case had declared him disqualified from holding public office. He said the bill, which was beneficial to an individual, would give birth to new litigation, adding this legislation was even against the basic structure of the constitution.

Published in Daily Times, September 26^th 2017.