PM Nawaz Sharif faces lifetime disqualification

ISLAMABAD: The five-judge Supreme Court bench on Friday (today) unanimously disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif  from holding office for life and ordered an accountability court to open a case against him.

The judges ruled that the prime minister had been dishonest to parliament and the courts and could not be deemed fit for his office, according to Dawn.

The court also directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to issue a notification declaring the prime minister's disqualification.

Supreme Court Justice Asif Saeed Khosa started the court's announcement on the Panama Papers case shortly after 12:00pm and handed the proceeding to Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan to read out the verdict.

The bench also ruled disqualification of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and ordered National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file reference against him.

According to court's lifetime disqualification ruling, Nawaz Sharif will not be able to contest elections again.

The SC bench ordered on Friday (today) to register a case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ruled to send a reference against him and his family to an accountability court.

The bench also recommended cases to be opened against Captain Muhammad Safdar, Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz  ordering the National Accountability Bureau to wrap up the cases within six months.

The verdict was announced by the original five-member bench headed by  Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.