The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday dismissed the petitions against decreasing the lifetime disqualification period to five years by Parliament. Lahore High Court Judge Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan announced the reserved decision on the petition filed by Azhar Siddique advocate. The court said the applications were non maintainable. The lawyer of the federal government opposed the petition, Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan heard the petition of citizen Shabbir Ismail. The petitioner, in his appeal, had taken the stance that parliament had amended the law of disqualification for life by reducing it to five years. According to the rules, the law on lifetime disqualification could not be amended by parliament through specific members.

The petitioner contended that passage of law by parliament was a violation of Supreme Court rulings. He said the lifetime disqualification was made under Article 62 (1)(F) of the Constitution and the apex court had already elaborated the said article. The petitioner prayed to the LHC that court should declare the law reducing the disqualification period to five years as null and void. Later, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan issued a reserved verdict on the plea of Azhar Siddique advocate and dismissed the request against commuting the lifetime disqualification period to five years.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan