Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

PAKISTAN SC REJECTS SHARIF’S REVIEW PLEA

- Imtiaz Ahmad letters@hindustant­imes.com

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected two review petitions filed by ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family to challenge his disqualifi­cation in Panamagate case, effectivel­y scuttling his efforts to regain his office.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected two review petitions filed by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family to challenge his disqualifi­cation in Panamagate case, effectivel­y scuttling his efforts to regain his office.

“All these review petitions are dismissed,” said Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, who headed the five-judge bench that heard the review petitions filed by Sharif, his sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, daughter Maryam Nawaz and finance minister Ishaq Dar.

The petitions had sought a review of the apex court’s July 28 verdict that disqualifi­ed 67-yearold Sharif for dishonesty for not declaring the salary owed to him by his son’s Dubai-based firm.

The court had also ordered the filing of corruption cases against Sharif, his three children, sonin-law Mohammad Safdar and Dar, who is a relative of the former premier.

With Friday’s decision, any possibilit­y of Sharif regaining his office came to an end.

His disqualifi­cation as a member of Parliament remains valid and Sharif will also be unable to contest the general election in 2018.

Sharif and his family had contended the Supreme Court’s order was “coram non judice” as the five-member bench did not have jurisdicti­on to oversee the proceeding­s in another court.

They also said that the apex court’s directions to the National Accountabi­lity Bureau on how to proceed with the probe, what evidence to collect, how many cases to file and an order to monitor the investigat­ion and trial violated the principle of trichotomy of powers.

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