By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistan’s supreme court on Wednesday decided to stay the by-election on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s constituency as hearing would be held at the end of the month.
The by-elections for the vacant National Assembly, lower parliament, and provincial parliament seats are scheduled on Thursday. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Sharif had submitted his nomination paper to contest the by-elections.
However, a full bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday disqualified Sharif from contesting the by-elections. The PML-N said the verdict was politically-motivated and viewed it as a conspiracy.
The bench of Pakistan Supreme Court, after receiving the appeal against the disqualification from the federal government, made the decision to stay the by-election on Sharif’s constituency NA-123 in Lahore before it holds hearing on the case on June 30.
The Pakistani government said the Lahore High Court was not competent to hear the disqualification case.
Sharif’s lawyer Akram Shaikh said Sharif will not appear in person before the supreme court because he would not accept those judges who took oath of office after President Pervez Musharraf declared an emergency rule last November.
“Sharif has the right to contest the by-elections,” Shaikh told local Dawn News TV channel.
Sharif was barred from Feb. 18 general elections for the convictions related to the coup in 1999, in which then army chief Musharraf seized power. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s election committee had cleared Sharif to run for the by-elections.
The verdict, as analysts said, would deepen worries about the political instability in the nation.