Supreme Court’s verdict will not affect Nawaz Sharif: ex-law minister

Former law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Friday termed the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the judgements review law as “very unfortunate”, and said it would not stop former premier Nawaz Sharif from returning to electoral politics anytime soon.

Tarar made the remarks while speaking to Geo News after a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial struck down the Supreme Court (Review of Judgments and Orders) Act 2023.

After the SC’s decision, it was believed that the doors on Nawaz Sharif’s electoral politics had been closed.

“This will not affect the prospects of Nawaz Sharif’s return to electoral politics as his lifetime disqualification was undone by an amendment to the Election Act 2017,” the ex-law minister clarified, raising questions on the timing of the verdict.

In June 2023, the treasury side in the Senate managed to get the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2023, a controversial legislative draft that aimed to reduce the disqualification term of parliamentarians and provincial assemblies’ members, disqualified under Article 62(1) (f), from lifetime to five years, passed from the house.

Tarar was of the view that such decisions would weaken the state’s institutions.

“Courts interfere in the Parliament’s jurisdiction again and again and give verdicts that put a curb on its supremacy […] this is not a good tradition,” he lamented.

He further said the timing of the verdict was also painful for him as it was announced after the dissolution of the National Assembly.

Former minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique termed the Supreme Court’s decision ‘Dark Justice’ in a tweet.

“Next assembly must legislate again in public interest,” he said.

Speaking to Aaj TV, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah also criticised over the SC ruling, saying the next assembly should review the legislation.