ISLAMABAD: Seven-member bench of apex court will hear matter of lifetime disqualification today, January 2 with little over month to go for before country heads to general polls on February 8.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa will head bench comprising Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali.

Apex court will deliberate whether disqualification of lawmaker is for lifetime under Article 62 of Constitution or for five years, as legislated by parliament.

Seven-member larger bench will hear case at 11.30 am. Public advertisement has also been issued to newspapers announcing hearing of case.

Military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq added Article 62(1)(f) to Constitution through 8th Amendment. Interestingly, in last 38 years, no elected government could abrogate Article 62(1)(f), which was included in Constitution during era of dictatorship.

When five-member larger bench of Supreme Court disqualified PML-N supremo and former premier Nawaz Sharif in Panama Papers case under Article 62(1)(f) for failing to declare unclaimed wages earned as an executive of Dubai-based company owned by his son, question arose as to how long period of his ineligibility to contest polls would last.

Then larger bench, in its judgment authored by former Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, ruled that disqualification period under Article 62(1)(f) would be for life. Similar to one that decided Panama Papers case, Justice Ijazul Ahsan was also member of bench that set term of disqualification for life.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 02 2024

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