Islamabad (Staff Report): Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar on Wednesday removed all objections by the Supreme Court’s registrar on petitions challenging the Elections Act 2017 and ordered to set date for hearing.
The CJP was hearing the in-chamber appeal on nine petitions filed by the PPP, Sheikh Rasheed, Jamshed Dasti, and others.
A three-member bench of the apex court will now hear the petitions, challenging sections of the Elections Act 2017 which paved way for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to retake his position as the PML-N president following disqualification in the Panama Papers case.
The SC registrar had earlier objected that the petitioners had not gone to the relevant forums before approaching the SC.
The Elections Act 2017 has been a cause for controversy since it was narrowly passed by the Senate. The opposition later passed an amendment to the act in the upper house, contending that a disqualified person cannot be allowed to hold party office. However, the government on Tuesday foiled opposition attempt to get the amendment passed from National Assembly in an unusually well-attended session.
