ISLAMABAD, FEB (DNA) – Supreme Court says Nawaz Sharif cannot hold office of party President. The Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified Nawaz Sharif as president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

After hearing the petitions against Election Act of 2017, Supreme Court had reserved its verdict to decide the political fate of Nawaz Sharif.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) remarked, “No parliamentarian was called thief,” while responding to the media reports.

In January 2018, SC had accepted petitions the petitions for hearing against the Election Act of 2017. These petitions were submitted by Awami Muslim League (AML), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and other political parties as well as groups of lawyers.

“The bill was passed in the NA by the vote of all parties and can only be annulled if is contradictory to basic rights,” CJP had remarked in one of the hearing.

CJP led the three-member bench to hear the petitions.

The approval of Electoral Reforms Bill 2017 had paved way for sacked premier Nawaz Sharif to become president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). It was passed from both houses of parliament despite the bone of contention being its Section 203 which allowed the ex-PM to hold office as PML-N president.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar took up the 13 petitions against Nawaz’s party presidency, including those by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, MNA Jamshaid Dasti, National Party and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The petitions, challenging specific clauses of the recently passed Elections Act 2017, state that Nawaz’s appointment asparty president is in violation of Clause 5 of the Political Parties Order 2002 and Article 17 of the Constitution.

As the hearing went under way, the chief justice remarked that the petitions are political in nature.

He also observed that Parliament is the supreme body of lawmaking in the country, adding that the court will strictly move according to the law.

The chief justice inquired from the counsel of one of the petitioners according to which law can Parliament’s legislation be nullified.