(Web Desk) – The Islamabad High Court on Thursday restored the 10-year disqualification period for graft convicts sentenced under the accountability laws on an intra-court appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
IHC division bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz issued the injunction, suspending the verdict earlier given by a single-judge bench.
In June last year, an IHC single-judge bench had, according to the accountability watchdog, shortened the disqualification period of graft convicts to five years.
On Jan 1, the NAB approached the high court seeking permission for persons convicted under the accountability laws to contest the upcoming general elections.
It requested the court to restore the 10-year disqualification period, arguing that persons convicted under the accountability laws had been referring to the decision of the single-judge bench for contesting the Feb-8 elections.
During Thursday’s proceedings, NAB Prosecutor Muhammad Rafi informed the IHC division bench that the Supreme Court had upheld the sentence awarded to PML-N politician Faiq Ali Jamali.
Following the issuance of the injunction by the high court, Jamali's 10-year disqualification got restored.
A day earlier, Jamali was awarded a party ticket by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for contesting polls from a provincial constituency in Balochistan.