ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: In a unanimous decision, a five-judge larger bench of the Supreme Court on Friday declared that the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) former Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen would remained disqualified for life time under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution.
The bench announced the verdict – written and ready by Justice Umar Ata Bandial – in a case under which the time period had to be determined for a person if he was disqualified under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution.
The five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and also consisting of Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah had reserved its judgement on February 14 on appeals and petitions challenging the length of disqualification under the said article.
Following the judgement, Nawaz Sharif, Jahangir Tareen and all those who were declared disqualified under Article 62 (1)(f) have now been barred from contesting elections permanently.
I always believed 62 1(f) to be for life but not applicable in my case.Full money trail provided of tax paid Income, property declared in assets of children and not mine on advice of tax consultant. This was the only issue. My review is still pending and IA justice will prevail
— Jahangir Khan Tareen (@JahangirKTareen) April 13, 2018
It is worth mentioning here that Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution sets the precondition for a member of the Parliament to be “Sadiq and Ameen” (Honest and Righteous).
Under the same provision, the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif on July 28 last year in Panama Papers Case and then on December 15, PTI’s Jahangir Tareen also fell prey to the same punishment.
Though Jahangir Tareen among others approached the Supreme Court to seek clarification on the disqualification period but Nawaz Sharif didn’t become party in the case.
