- The National Assembly of Pakistan passed the bill
- Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will benefit
- Under the new law, no MP in Pakistan can be disqualified for more than 5 years
Pakistan’s National Assembly on Sunday passed a bill to limit the lifetime disqualification of members of parliament to 5 years. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is believed to benefit who may return to Pakistan from London before the general elections this year. Under the new law, no MP in Pakistan can be disqualified for more than 5 years.
In fact, 73-year-old Sharif was disqualified for life by the Supreme Court in 2017 and later convicted in corruption cases by accountability courts. In 2018, the three-time former prime minister was disqualified from contesting elections for life following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers case.
According to the report, the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2023 aims to reduce the disqualification period and empower the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to unilaterally announce election dates without consulting the President. The Bill included an amendment to Section 232 of the Elections Act, 2017 on the period of disqualification for MPs.
The bill was approved by the Senate on June 16. The amendment also empowers the ECP to announce election dates unilaterally without consulting the President. A bill must be approved by the President to become a law.
General elections can be held in October
With Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed President Arif Alvi out of the country to perform Hajj, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has taken over as acting president and may retire prematurely. The enactment of the bill is expected to end Sharif’s lifetime disqualification, paving the way for him to return to the country and rejoin active politics ahead of general elections expected in October.
This challenge against Nawaz Sharif
However, Sharif still has to overturn the verdicts in two anti-corruption cases against him before joining active politics. Supreme Leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif has been living in self-residence in the United Kingdom since November 2019. Sharif Al-Azizia Mills was serving a seven-year prison sentence in a corruption case. Before the four-wheeler was moved to London on medical grounds by the Lahore High Court.
PML-N says its top leaders will return to Pakistan after the date of general elections is announced. The country is due for elections in October as the tenure of the current government ends on August 13.
