Election Act amended to restrict disqualification to 5 years
Pakistan
The amendment will benefit ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and IPP chief Jahangir Tareen
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The National Assembly on Sunday approved the Election Amendment Bill 2023 restraining the period of disqualification of a parliament to a maximum five years and removing bar from running for a public office again.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar tabled amendments bill and the House unanimously approved Section 57 of the Election Act 2017. Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf presented the bill for voting which was passed with a majority.
The amendment provided that the term of punishment for the crime where term is not specified in the Constitution, disqualification will not exceed five years.
Election Amendment Bill 2023 adopted and Passed by National Assembly#NASession #Budget2023 pic.twitter.com/zwy4KpudVi
— National Assembly (@NAofPakistan) June 25, 2023
"A person convicted under the judgment, order or decree of the Supreme Court, high court or any other court will be disqualified for five years from the date of announcement of judgment."
The amendment will benefit Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) chief Jahangir Khan Tareen.
The Supreme Court had disqualified both senior politicians in June and December 2017, respectively, after they were found to be "dishonest" under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.
The amendment also empowered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce poll dates unilaterally, new schedule for general elections and modify the election programme.
The proposed amendment in Section 57(1) suggested that the commission shall announce the “date or dates of the general elections by notification in the official gazette and shall call upon the constituencies to elect their representatives.”
The proposed amendment in Section 58 (1) suggested, “notwithstanding anything contained in Section 57, the commission may, at any time, after the issuance of notification under sub-section (1) of that section, make such alterations in the elections programme announced in that notification for the different stages of the election or may issue a fresh election programme with the fresh poll date(s) as may, in its opinion to be recorded in writing, be necessary for the purposes of this Act.
Meanwhile, the bill approved also included an amendment to Section 232 (Qualifications and Disqualifications) of the Election Act, 2017.
