SC verdict on MPs’ disqualification duration today

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will today (Friday) announce verdict on the duration of legislators’ disqualification under Article 62(1) (f) of the Constitution.

A five-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, will announce the reserved verdict in the cases at 11am, involving interpretation, determination of the question of temporary or permanent bar on the parliamentarians to contest elections.

On February 14, a five-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, had reserved the verdict while hearing several petitions to determine the duration of a lawmaker’s disqualification after being de-seated in violation of Article 62(1)(f) and other election laws. During the hearing, the court had observed that disqualification will continue for as long as the declaration [signed by electoral candidates declaring them honest] holds, adding the 18th Amendment, passed in 2010, did not determine the time period for disqualification.

Last year on July 28, the Supreme Court had disqualified former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for concealing in his nomination papers the receivable income from his son's company in the UAE. Similarly, on December 15, 2017, the top court also disqualified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Tareen for failing to declare an offshore company and a foreign property in his election nomination papers. Article 62(1)(f) reads: "A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless ...he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law."