Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar observed on Friday that Supreme Court is examining the amendment to election law in general. Without addressing the question of determining the period of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's disqualification.
Resuming the hearing of pleas, majority of which claimed that amendment in election law is Nawaz Sharif-specific, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said that Federal Shariat Court has jurisdiction to interpret election law on Islamic injunctions.
Concluding arguments before the bench on behalf of civil society about determining whether disqualification of lawmakers under Article 62(1)(f) is for life or time specific, Advocate Azhar Siddique said the election law had paved way for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to become party head in violation of Islamic teachings.
To which, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said if the counsel intended to examine Section 203 of Election law on the touchstone of religious provision then he should invoke the jurisdiction of Federal Shariah Court for the purpose, as apex court has no such jurisdiction. Responding to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawyer Gohar Nawaz Sindhu's request to disqualify lawmakers who had voted in favour of the Election Act 2017, the Chief Justice observed if Sindhu's plea fails to substantiate his claim then the court will impose a heavy fine.
Ahsan Sheikh, counsel for Pakistan Justice Democratic Party of former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, said while concluding arguments that Nawaz Sharif became ineligible to hold party office once he was declared disqualified from the Parliament. Another lawyer, Zulfiqar Bhutta, pleaded that a disqualified parliamentarian cannot represent public in any case. Later, the hearing of matter was adjourned till February 12.
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