Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly’s (NA) Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah on Friday endorsed Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict on disqualification of lawmakers stating it constitutional.

Shah in a conversation to the media stated that everyone should respect and accept SC’s decision. He added that former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif fell in his own trap of article 62(1)(f), as he was the biggest proponent of the criteria of “Sadiq and Ameen”. Shah remarked that now as the verdict had been announced no arguments should be brought forth on SC’s judgment.

Earlier today SC announced its verdict on the disqualification of the lawmakers under Article 62(1)(f) to be lifelong. The verdict had been previously reserved by a five-member bench comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, after 13 appeals filed against the decision of disqualification.

Former PM Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by SC’s Panama Papers case verdict for violating Article 62(1)(f) after being accused of hiding a receivable income from his son’s company.

Nawaz on February 6 had earlier opposed SC’s reservation of its verdict on the duration of the disqualification. Sharif stated that as the article stated no time frame, the disqualification should last till the next election. Former PM had maintained the view that it was a fundamental right for a person to partake the election process which could not be undermined due to an interpretation of article 62(1)(f).