Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Permanently Disqualified from Elections

A few months after the disqualification of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his resignation from the Prime Ministership of Pakistan, the Supreme Court of the country declared him "forever" disqualified from participating in any elections as a candidate. The Supreme Court of Pakistan, in April 2017, ordered further investigations into the financial corruption case against Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister, and his children. Five months later, on August 6, Nawaz Sharif resigned from his position shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling disqualifying him. Now, according to a report from AFP in Islamabad, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled on Friday, April 24, that he is permanently barred from participating in any elections. This comes as the ruling party of Pakistan, currently led by Sharif's brother, is set to participate in national elections in the coming months. Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz's brother, officially took over the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party last month. The Sharif family and their supporters in Pakistan have repeatedly denied the allegations of financial corruption, claiming it is a "conspiracy" by the powerful military against them. Nawaz Sharif's three children have been accused of establishing shell companies to purchase properties in London. The family's name was also found two years ago in the list of individuals involved in the infamous "Panama Papers" case. In the 70-year history of Pakistan, this is the second time the Supreme Court has declared a Prime Minister unfit to hold office. In 2012, after Yousaf Raza Gillani, the then Prime Minister, refused to reopen a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari, the Supreme Court removed him from office. It is expected that the ruling party, led by Nawaz Sharif's brother, will face its main rival, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party led by Imran Khan, in the upcoming elections. In this context, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi became the new Prime Minister of Pakistan amid expanding anti-government protests in Pakistan and the military's silence, while Nawaz Sharif's party was declared the "winner" of the elections in Pakistan.