The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) filed a constitutional petition against the lifetime disqualification of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and former PTI leader Jahangir Tareen.
According to details, SCBA President Ahsan filed the plea in the Supreme Court (SC) earlier today. President Ahsan Bhoon filed the petition challenging Article 62(1)(f) which relates to the disqualification of parliamentarians.
In the petition, he contended that the lifetime disqualification law applies to only electoral disputes. Not giving a right to appeal against the court’s judgment is against the principles of justice, the plaintiff said.
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“It will be against the principles of justice if a convict has no right to move against the verdict. The lifetime disqualification without the right to appeal is a violation of basic rights,” he reportedly said.
“Moreover, the lifetime disqualification is also a violation of the basic rights of the votes of the constituency,” he added.
Disqualification of Nawaz Sharif & Jahangir Tareen
Important to note, Article 62(1)(f) — which sets the precondition for the head of government to be “sadiq and ameen” (truthful and honest) — led to the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif from holding public office on the Panama Papers case.
In April 2016, an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ probe revealed how Sharif’s children were linked to offshore companies that owned four flats in a luxury apartment block in London. Interestingly, the probe was based on files leaked from Panamanian offshore provider Mossack Fonseca.
As a result of the allegations, Nawaz Sharif was first disqualified from office in 2017. Later, he received a lifetime ban from politics in 2018.
On this day 28th July 2017 Pakistan Supreme Court disqualifies Nawaz Sharif in Panama case.
Nawaz Sharif and the Sharif family presented fake documents in court
And Supreme Court had dismissed Nawaz Sharif from the post of Prime Minister on the basis of fake documents. pic.twitter.com/IZo6JGsoAA
— Imran Khan (@ImranRaizKhann) July 27, 2021
Meanwhile, Jahangir Tareen used to have very close ties to PM Imran Khan and served as PTI Secretary-General. In 2017, PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi sought disqualification of then PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Tareen for non-disclosure of their assets and ownership of offshore companies abroad.
According to reports, the court said Khan declared the money received from his ex-wife Jemima Khan. However, declaring Jahangir Khan Tareen disqualified for life, the SC said in its judgment that the respondent could not be declared an honest person because he used suspicious terms in his statements.