LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has been moved against reduction in the disqualification period to five years under Section 232 of the Election Act, 2017.
The National Assembly had in June last amended Section 232 (disqualification on account of offences) of the Election Act, 2017, under which disqualification of lawmakers was limited to five years.
A petition was filed by Mian Shabbir Ismail through Advocate Azhar Sadiq making the federal government and others a party. The petitioner argued that the parliament does not have the power to legislate with a simple majority. By amending the Section 232 of the Election Act 2017 it committed a violation of the law and prayed the LHC to declare the amendment unconstitutional.
It may be recalled that the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, IPP’s Jahangir Tareen and others got reprieve recently under the amendment.
Earlier, A writ petition challenging section 232(2) of the Elections Act 2017 was filed in the Lahore High Court on Thursday, asserting that the prescribed five-year disqualification period is in violation of Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution, and contrary to established principles from landmark judgments.
The petitioner, Mian Shabir Asmail, represented by senior advocate Azhar Siddique, urged the court to declare the provision illegal, unlawful, and ultra vires to the Constitution. Additionally, the petitioner sought a suspension of any benefits related to section 232(2) until the final resolution of the petition. –Agencies
