Pak govt challenges Sharif's disqualification in Supreme Court

Rezaul H. Laskar

Islamabad, Jun 25 (PTI) Pakistan government Wednesday
filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against disqualification
of former premier Nawaz Sharif from contesting parliamentary
by-polls scheduled for Thursday.

The Lahore High Court had barred two-time premier Sharif
from participating in the by-elections to National Assembly
seat on pleas from rivals that he was convicted for terrorism
and corruption following the 1999 bloodless coup in which then
army chief Pervez Musharraf seized power.

The petition filed in the Supreme Court asked it to set
aside the High Court's verdict. It also sought postponement of
the by-election in a constituency in Lahore, the capital of
Punjab province, from which Sharif had planned to contest the
by-polls.

The petition argued that the High Court was not
competent to hear the case challenging Sharif's candidature.
The Supreme Court is expected to give short verdict later
Wednesday.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, a
part of the ruling coalition, has said it will not approach
the Supreme Court as it considers all judges appointed by
President Musharraf during last year's emergency rule as
illegal.

PML-N parliamentarians condemned the High Court's
verdict as "politically motivated and a conspiracy" to keep
Sharif out of the National Assembly.

They also staged a walkout from the National Assembly
and held a protest outside the parliament building yesterday.

Following this, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said
his government would challenge the verdict in the Supreme
Court.