Sharif seeks review of court ruling

islamabad — Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court for review of the Panama Papers verdict that led to his disqualification.

The landmark order had disqualified Sharif for hiding his assets and UAE’s Iqama (work permit) on which he was to receive payment.

Advocate Khawaja Haris on behalf of Sharif filed three applications with the top court. In his applications the ex-prime minister requested the Supreme Court to review its judgement.

He submitted that he had not concealed the documents in his nomination papers for the 2013 polls — the reason for which the court had disqualified him, terming him dishonest and untrustworthy. In the application, Sharif said that under Article 188 of the constitution, he cannot be disqualified without a trial.

Jan Achakzai, a PML-N official, said Sharif had filed three separate appeals in the Supreme Court.

“It is our right to seek a review,” he said. “People of Pakistan haven’t accepted the decision.”

Achakzai said the same five-judge panel that decided on the disqualification would likely hear the review petitions. Achakzai said the appeals sought a review of the disqualification on the basis that two of the five judges, who had already given a dissenting note in April’s verdict, were not supposed to sit on the panel that gave the final ruling.

In the July 28 landmark verdict, the apex court’s five-judge larger bench unanimously disqualified Sharif due to his failure to disclose his “un-withdrawn receivables, constituting assets” in his nomination papers filed ahead of the 2013 general elections.

The bench had also directed the National Accountability Bureau to file cases against Sharif, his sons Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz, daughter Maryam Nawaz, son-inlaw Capt. Safdar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. — IANS, Reuters