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Pakistan Supreme Court bars ex-PM Sharif from elected office

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that bars Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister and current leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), from holding elected office based on a past criminal conviction for "hijacking". Sharif was convicted of the offense for attempting to divert a plane carrying Army commander Pervez Musharraf during a 1999 coup against Sharif that ultimately succeeded. Sharif said the ruling was retributive and that President Asif Ali Zardari offered him a favorable verdict in exchange for his support of Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar. Wednesday's decision also nullified the election of Sharif's brother, Shahbaz Sharif, who had served as the Chief Minister of Punjab since his election last June. The removal of Shahbaz Sharif from office may be viewed as a political power-grab, as Punjab is the most populous and affluent region in Pakistan, and the PML-N holds a sizable plurality over Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in its provincial assembly. The Supreme Court's controversial ruling comes amid much turmoil regarding the country's judiciary, which has split the PML-N and PPP, which formerly were coalition partners. Sharif and the PML-N have urged the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, ousted after then-president Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule in November 2007. Chaudhry, supported by many members of Pakistan's bar, insists he is still chief justice under the Pakistani constitution.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 25, 2009 (boomark / email).