Pakistan PM disqualified, ordered by Supreme Court to leave office soon

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court announced the unanimous verdict which was reserved on July 21.

The Election Commission has been directed to issue notification regarding PM Nawaz's disqualification.

The apex court has also ordered to file reference in accountability court to investigate matter against Nawaz Sharif, his children and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar.

The Supreme Court in its verdict advised the President to take steps for continuation of democratic process.

According to the verdict, the Prime Minister will be considered disqualified since July 28. Nawaz Sharif has been disqualified for holding any public office for five years.

The federal cabinet stands dissolved immediately after the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Sharif is ineligible to hold office.

On the occasion special security arrangements were made and additional forces were deployed in and outside court to avoid any untoward situation.

Earlier the Supreme Court had formed a Joint Investigation Team to probe into the Sharif family’s assets.

The Joint Investigation Team, in its final report into the Sharif family’s assets, held that the Prime Minister and his three children — Maryam, Hussain and Hasan — have accumulated wealth beyond their own known sources of income.

Days after a report by probe committee regarding financial accusations and heavy pressure from the opposition to resign, PM Nawaz said he would not resign on the demand of opposition he described as 'conspirators'.

The case against Sharif stems from documents leaked from the Panama-based 'Mossack Fonseca' law firm in 2016, which appeared to show that his daughter and two sons owned offshore holding companies and used them to buy properties in London.

Opposition parties in Pakistan saw the published documents as proof of alleged money laundering done by the premier.

This is the third time that Nawaz Sharif has failed to complete his tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Nawaz Sharif was born on December 25, 1949 in Lahore. He entered the political arena in 1970’s and became a member of Tehrik-e-Istiqlal. In 1981, he was appointed as Punjab Finance Minister.

He was elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab province in 1985 and re-elected after the end of martial law in 1988.

He was elected the Prime Minster in 1990 but after facing increasing opposition and alleged corruption charges, he was dismissed by the then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1993.

He was elected as Prime Minister for the second term with huge majority in parliament in 1997. But in 1999 he was dismissed through a military coup by General Parvez Musharraf for having developed strong differences with army on national issues.

Under an agreement facilitated by the Saudi government, he was sent into exile for the next 10 years. He left for Jeddah along with his 40 family members in late 2000.

After a failed attempt to return to Islamabad on September 10, 2007, Sharif successfully returned to Lahore on November 25, the same year. He became the Prime Minister for the third time in 2013.

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