Today, Pakistan’s Supreme Court overturned lifetime election bans for individuals with criminal convictions, potentially allowing Nawaz Sharif to vie for prime minister for the fourth time. The elections are scheduled for February 8, and Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is considered a front-runner, particularly with main rival Imran Khan in jail and disqualified from contesting for five years.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, leading a seven-member panel of judges, stated that the lifetime bans infringe on citizens’ fundamental right to participate in elections and vote for their chosen candidate. The court’s decision, with a vote of six to one, overrules a previous 2018 ruling that imposed lifelong bans on politicians convicted under specific constitutional provisions.
In 2017, Sharif, 74, was found guilty of dishonest practices. While he wasn’t an applicant in the recent case, the ruling makes him eligible for the upcoming polls, considering more than five years have passed since 2017. However, Khan, 71, the current Prime Minister, will not benefit from the decision as it only abolishes lifetime bans, leaving him disqualified until 2028.
PML-N leader Azam Nazeer Tarar praised the ruling, deeming the lifetime ban a “murder of justice.” In contrast, one of Khan’s lawyers, Intazar Hussain Panjutha, labeled it the “death of law and the constitution.”
