Musharraf can’t contest polls even if comes back

ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf has been disqualified for life and is not eligible to contest election even he comes back to Pakistan.

Pervez Musharraf is the first Pakistani who was banned for life for not being Sadiq and Amin. The court had disqualified him for abusing his authority as Army Chief, violating his oath of office as President and putting the judges under house arrest.

After his disqualification, former president was not allowed to contest election from Islamabad, Karachi, Kasur and Chitral. He had filed his nomination papers for four constituencies of the National Assembly – NA-250 (Karachi), NA-139 (Kasur), NA-48 (Islamabad), and NA-32 (Chitral) – when he returned to Pakistan in 2013 after ending his four-year self-exile. His papers for the four constituencies were rejected.

The Election Tribunal in Rawalpindi comprising Justice Rauf Ahmad Sheikh and Justice Mamoon Rasheed had heard the appeal. A three-point charge-sheet was leveled against him, which included abuse of powers as Army Chief, violation of his oath as President and house arrest of judges. The Election Tribunal in its decision declared he was not Sadiq and Amin as he was not eligible under Article 62 and 63.