PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Jahangir Tareen and Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday lauded the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s decision to disqualify former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as party president.
Speaking to the media after SC’s decision, Jahangir Tareen asked party supporters to ‘commence celebrations and distribute sweets’ among each other. He added that the PTI and the public of Pakistan ‘salutes’ Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar for spearheading the ‘historic’ verdict.
PTI Secretary Information Fawad Chaudhry also termed the decision as ‘historic’, adding that the apex court is worthy of appreciation. Fawad further said that to instate a ‘disloyal’ and ‘disqualified’ person as party leader is against constitution and law.
Earlier today, SC announced verdict in Election Act 2017 case, declaring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif ineligible to hold Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) presidentship and other public offices.
Announcing its decision, the SC elaborated that a person disqualified under Article 62, 63 of the Constitution cannot hold party office. As a result of the verdict, all decisions made by Nawaz as party president, including nomination of candidates for the Senate elections, have been invalidated.
The party members, however, can contest Senate elections as independent candidates since party electoral symbols can not be assigned to them.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, had been hearing several petitions challenging specific clauses of the election act that led to Sharif’s appointment as party president following his disqualification as prime minister in the Panama Papers case.
