ISLAMABAD: Justice Umar Ata Bandiyal of Supreme Court (SC) on Friday announced the verdict stating the disqualification of lawmakers violating the criteria of “Sadiq and Ameen” under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution will be for lifetime.
The ruling said that the disqualification will stand till the time court judgment stands ground.
SC’s verdict has sealed the political fate of former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PIT) leader Jahangir Tareen and many other lawmakers.
The court said that a comprehensive verdict will be released shortly.
Earlier, a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar had reserved its verdict on the petition pertaining to the duration of disqualifications of the lawmakers under Article 62(1)(f). The SC had reserved its ruling on the grounds that the 18th Amendment 2010 did not determine the duration of a lawmaker’s disqualification thus letting it remain ambiguous and vague.
Former PM Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by SC 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 states 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 participate in the election process which could not be undermined due to an interpretation of Article 62(1)(f).