NAB appeals IHC to reinstate 10-year disqualification period

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has taken the step of approaching the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek the reinstatement of the 10-year disqualification period.

In its plea, the anti-graft watchdog pointed out that a single bench had reduced the 10-year disqualification to 5 years in June of the current year. NAB has filed an intra-court appeal against this decision, urging the court to suspend the ruling that limits the disqualification period. The case is scheduled for a hearing, with Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani and Justice Saman Rifat.

It’s noteworthy that the then acting President Sadiq Sanjrani, in the absence of President Arif Alvi who was on Haj, approved the Elections Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

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The bill, endorsed by former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, aimed at shortening the disqualification period for lawmakers to five years. This enactment came into effect after receiving the acting president’s assent.

The National Assembly had passed the Elections Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023, with the goal of eliminating the lifelong disqualification of lawmakers under Article 62 (1) (f). It also granted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) the authority to schedule election dates without the need for consultation with the president. The immediate beneficiaries of this amendment were Nawaz Sharif, the three-time former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Jahangir Tareen, leader of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), both of whom had been disqualified for life by the Supreme Court in June and December 2017, respectively, for being deemed “dishonest” under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.