Sharif's loyalist Aziz barred from contesting elections after SC holds him guilty of contempt of court

A prominent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader and loyalist of former premier Nawaz Sharif, Daniyal Aziz was today disqualified by the Supreme Court from contesting general elections for five years, weeks ahead of the July 25 polls.

The apex court had on February 2 issued a contempt of court notice to Aziz, the then Federal Minister for Privatisation, for making derogatory and contemptuous speeches and statement against the judiciary during television shows last year.

Aziz, a PML-N candidate from Narowal NA-77 seat for the general elections, was indicted on March 13 and the judgement was reserved on May 3.

Justice Musher Alam, of a three-member bench of the apex court, read out the judgement, which pronounced him guilty and ordered him to custody till the rising of the court.

The court's verdict rendered him disqualified to contest elections for a period of five years, the Dawn reported.

According to Article 63 (1) (g) of the Constitution, a person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), if he has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction...unless a period of five years has elapsed since his release, it said.

Following the verdict, Aziz's counsel said that his client would file a review petition in the Supreme Court, the report said.

Aziz, while addressing a press conference in September last year, had accused Justice Ijazul Ahsan of summoning NAB authorities in Lahore for preparing corruption cases against Sharif, his family members and former minister Ishaq Dar. Later, in December, the firebrand PML-N leader had hurled accusations against Justice Ahsan.

The court's order is yet another blow to the Sharif's party after former Prime Minister and a prominent PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was yesterday disqualified from contesting the general elections from Rawalpindi by a special election tribunal for tampering with the nomination papers and illegally occupying forest land in his native Murree city near Islamabad.

He was, however, allowed to contest from the NA-53 Islamabad seat.