Pakistan SC dismisses Nawaz Sharif’s plea against disqualification

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected two review petitions filed by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family to challenge his disqualification in Panamagate case, effectively scuttling his efforts to regain his office.

“All these review petitions are dismissed,” said Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, who headed the five-judge bench that heard the review petitions filed by Sharif, his sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, daughter Maryam Nawaz and finance minister Ishaq Dar.

The petitions had sought a review of the apex court’s July 28 verdict that disqualified 67-year-old Sharif for dishonesty for not declaring the salary owed to him by his son’s Dubai-based firm.

The court had also ordered the filing of corruption cases against Sharif, his three children, son-in-law Mohammad Safdar and Dar, who is related to the former premier.

With Friday’s decision, any possibility of Sharif regaining his office came to an end. His disqualification as a member of Parliament remains valid and Sharif will also be unable to contest the general election in 2018.

During the hearing of the case, Salman Akram Raja, the counsel for Sharif’s children, and the deposed premier’s attorney Khawaja Haris presented similar arguments. The bench assured the counsel that the trial of the ruling family in an anti-corruption court would not be prejudiced against them.

Sharif and his family had contended the Supreme Court’s order was “coram non judice” as the five-member bench did not have jurisdiction to oversee the proceedings in another court.

They also said that the apex court’s directions to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on how to proceed with the probe, what evidence to collect, how many cases to file and an order to monitor the investigation and trial violated the principle of trichotomy of powers.

Sharif and his family members and Dar will now face the cases filed by the NAB in an anti-corruption court.

Source: Agencies