Article 62: Apex court rules disqualification is for life

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday ruled that the disqualified parliamentarian under Article 62(1)(f) of the constitution will be disqualified for life.

The apex court barred Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif and PTI’s Jahangir Tareen from contesting elections for life in a case pertaining to duration of disqualification of a parliamentarian under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.

According to legal experts, Article 62(1)(f) reads: “A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless, he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law.”

Earlier on February 14, Supreme court had reserved its decision in the case to determine the duration for parliamentarian disqualified for.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar headed the five members larger bench of the apex and it had reserved the verdict while hearing several petitions to determine the time-period a lawmaker would remain disqualified for after being disqualified in violation of Article 62(1)(f) and other election laws.

During the hearing, the court had observed that the disqualification will continue for as long as the declaration [signed by electoral candidates declaring them honest] holds, adding that the 18th Amendment, passed in 2010, did not determine a time period for disqualification.

At an earlier hearing on February 8, the chief justice had also acknowledged the ambiguity of Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.