Way paved for Nawaz return as PML-N chief
Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to return as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief under a new law around two months after being forced by the Supreme Court to vacate the post.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had de-notified Nawaz Sharif as a member of the National Assembly in the light of the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in which he was convicted for hiding assets rendering him ineligible to lead his party as its President.
The government has now got the amended Elections Bill 2017 passed from Senate despite the fact that chairman Raza Rabbani walked out. The new legislation paves the way for ousted premier Nawaz Sharif to become head of the PML-N again.
During the Senate proceedings, the treasury benches with the help of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement MQM) and the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) defeated an amendment sought by Leader of Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan in clause 203 which stated that someone who was no longer a member of the National Assembly could not become the chief of a party either.
The clause 203, to which Senator Ahsan had proposed an amendment, envisaged electoral reforms including a fine of up to ` 0.1 million on lawmakers or three years in jail if irregularities were found in details of their assets and termination of lawmakers’ membership if they fail to submit asset details within 60 days. It also granted Election Commission of Pakistan powers allowing it to summon services of any institution to investigate irregularities.