The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif to appear before it on July 9 over the issue of the party's registration under the name of a disqualified parliamentarian. In February this year, an application was submitted to the ECP seeking that the PML-N should be de-notified as "a party cannot be registered in the name of a person who is disqualified to hold a public office."
The application was moved by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) through Advocate Makhdoom Mohammad Niaz Inqilabi. It stated that a disqualified person cannot lead or become a member of a political party; however "Nawaz Sharif is incessantly presiding over the gatherings from party's platform."
Nawaz, who was disqualified in the Panama Papers case verdict in July last year and later removed from his own party's presidency, has been asked to appear before the Election Commission to explain his position. The ECP has sent the summons to Nawaz Sharif's Jati Umra residence. The former premier is currently in London to attend his ailing wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2017. She is currently on a ventilator in a hospital in London.
Talking to the media in London, Nawaz and his daughter Maryam said they would return to Pakistan to take part in the election campaign once the health of Kulsoom improves. Kulsoom suffered a cardiac arrest on June 15 and has been on the ventilator since.
According to the plea, PML-N is registered under Nawaz Sharif's name in the ECP. Now that Nawaz stands disqualified, the party cannot be proven registered with the name of a disqualified person.
"Thereby, ECP must de-notify PML-N until the Supreme Court's decision of July 28, 2017, is suspended following a review appeal. Until the decision isn't suspended, under current circumstances the PML-N cannot remain enrolled with the Election Commission," the application says.
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