It is the third time that the 67-year-old veteran politician’s term as premier has been cut short. The much-awaited verdict plunged Pakistan into a political crisis at a time when the country is facing a brittle economy and a surge in militancy.
As the unanimous verdict by the five-judge Bench was read out by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan inside the packed courtroom 1 of the SC, a large number of Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers celebrated outside chanting the slogan, ‘Go, Nawaz, Go’.
The court disqualified Sharif under Article 62 and 63 of Pakistan’s Constitution. The articles state that a member of Parliament should be “truthful” and “righteous”.
“He is disqualified as a member of the parliament so he has ceased to be holding the office of Prime Minister,” Justice Khan said. The court ordered the Election Commission to issue a notification for Sharif’s disqualification.
Following the order, the Election Commission de-notified Sharif from NA-120 constituency (in Lahore).
The federal Cabinet also stands dissolved.
Though there was no official announcement, Geo News reported that after a consultative session of the PML-N, Shehbaz Sharif has emerged as the most likely candidate to be the next prime minister of Pakistan after an interim premier has served a 45-day period.
A name has not been announced for the interim prime minister, who will fill the 45-day vacuum until Shehbaz, 65, is elected to a National Assembly seat, the report said.
The court verdict said that having furnished a false declaration under solemn affirmation, Sharif was “not honest” under terms of the Constitution.
