Islamabad: A state spokesman stated that Pakistan’s national assembly has passed legislation limiting how long lawmakers can be disqualified from office, paving the way for exiled former PM Nawaz Sharif’s return to politics.
Sharif was Pakistan's prime minister three times, the last of which ended with his ouster in 2017 due to allegations of corruption. He was permanently disqualified from politics by the Supreme Court, and he was eventually given a seven-year prison term. In 2019 he was granted medical bail and flew to Britain, where he has remained ever since, continuing to steer the family-run PML-N party from behind the scenes.
His brother Shehbaz Sharif became PM last year, and the country is due to hold fresh general elections no later than October. A government spokesman said the acting president had signed into law an amendment which says courts can only disqualify parliamentarians “for a period not exceeding five years”.
The spokesman said senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani served as acting president signing the bill, in the absence of President Arif Alvi who is abroad on the Haj pilgrimage. “The ruling PML-N and its coalition partners want to bring Nawaz Sharif back,” political analyst Hasan Askari said. “He will be the main campaigner for PML-N in the next election.”