Pakistan rejects Sharif's election bid appeal

Islamabad, 2007 Dec 18, Al-Manar

Pakistan's Election Commission has upheld an election ban on former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his lawyer said on Tuesday, barring a main rival of President Pervez Musharraf from the January polls.

Sharif, who Musharraf ousted in 1999, was allowed back from seven years of exile last month and has been campaigning for the January 8 general election despite the ban, imposed this month for past criminal convictions he says were politically motivated.
 
Sharif had challenged the ban but the Election Commission rejected his appeal saying it should be filed with an election tribunal made up of judges who swore allegiance to Musharraf after he imposed emergency rule on November 3.

"We told the Election Commission these tribunals are not properly constituted because that was done in consultation with the president but they said 'no, we cannot make an exception for Nawaz Sharif'," Sharif's lawyer, Akram Sheikh, said.
 
"Nawaz Sharif has taken a principled stand that he would not appeal before the PCO judges," Sheikh said, referring to a provisional constitutional order promulgated by Musharraf after he invoked emergency powers.

After imposing the emergency, Musharraf fired dozens of judges, including chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who were seen as hostile to his October re-election by legislators while still army chief. Musharraf then swore in the remaining and new judges under the provisional constitutional order. He later stepped down as army chief and was sworn in as civilian president after his handpicked judges rubber-stamped his re-election.
He revoked emergency rule and restored the constitution at the weekend but has ruled out an opposition demand for the reinstatement of the sacked judges, some of whom remain under house arrest.