By IANS,
Islamabad : The Supreme Court of Pakistan will Monday begin hearing a set of petitions seeking reversal of the controversial orders barring opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and his brother from contesting elections.
A bench of the apex court comprising Justices Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Nasir-ul-Mulk, Mohammad Moosa K. Leghari, Sheikh Hakim Ali and Sabhiuddin Ahmed is due to commence hearing from Monday on a set of petitions, Geo TV reported.
Abid Hasan Minto, a constitutional expert and senior advocate of the Supreme Court, will represent Nawaz Sharif, the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), whereas former advocate general of Punjab Khawaja Haris will appear for his brother Shahbaz Sharif.
On Feb 25, the Supreme Court had disqualified the Sharif brothers from holding or contesting public offices over corruption charges. The decision led to the collapse of Shahbaz Sharif’s government in Punjab and the imposition of the governor’s rule in the province.
Nawaz Sharif then made this one of the issues of a previously planned lawyers’ ‘long march’ to Islamabad to demand the restoration of the judges former president Pervez Musharraf had sacked.
After initially talking tough, the government buckled Feb 16 and gave in to both demands.