Supreme Court declares Sharif brothers ineligible for elections

July 17th, 2009 Pakistan lift ban on Sharif running for officeISLAMABAD — Pakistan's top court has acquitted opposition leader Nawaz Sharif of hijacking charges stemming from the 1999 coup against his government. The ruling removes the final ban on Sharif running for public office.

July 17th, 2009 Pakistan lifts ban on Sharif running for officeISLAMABAD — Pakistan's top court acquitted opposition leader Nawaz Sharif on Friday of hijacking charges stemming from the 1999 coup against his government, clearing the last obstacle to Sharif's running for office. Sharif was banned from office after being found guilty of hijacking Gen.

July 17th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Expressing satisfaction over the Supreme Court's verdict acquitting him in the plane hijacking case, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said he is grateful to the 'almighty Allah' for the decision. "Allah has determined the truth and now I would work day night for serving the people of Pakistan," Sharif said minutes after the apex court declared the Sindh High Court's (SHC) earlier verdict as null and void.

May 26th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Revoking the Lahore High Court's verdict to disqualify former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from contesting elections, the Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday declared the Sharif brothers eligible for fighting elections. The five-member SC bench headed by Justice Tassadaq Hussain Jilani, while hearing the review petitions filed by the Sharifs' against their disqualification on the conviction in plane hijacking case and default case respectively ordered to lift the ban from them.

April 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court will hear May 11 a petition against its order barring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother from contesting elections or holding public office. The court had March 31 suspended its order of Feb 25 against Shahbaz Sharif, enabling him reclaim his job as the chief minister of Punjab province.

March 31st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Deposed Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been reinstated on the post following a Supreme Court's stay order against its earlier judgment which disqualified the Sharif brothers' from contesting elections and holding office. The apex court bench headed by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani ordered Shahbaz Sharif's government to be restored with immediate effect till the court announces a final verdict in the eligibility case.

March 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and deposed Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif have filed a petition in the Supreme Court pleading to the apex court to make them parties in the disqualification revision petitions' hearings. Advocates Abid Hassan Manto and Khawaja Haris filed the petition on behalf of the leaders, and also urged the court to declare the earlier ex-party decision as obsolete.

March 22nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will not pressurize the PPP Government to lift Governor's Rule in Punjab before the Supreme Court's verdict on a review petition against the disqualification of the Sharif brothers, the Daily Times has reported. There is a tacit understanding between the PML-n and Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani following the successful lawyers' March and the restoration of the judiciary, sources said.

March 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Supreme Court's Registrar Office has returned the review petition of the Sharif brothers' disqualification case saying that it lacked the necessary documents. According to sources, the review petition did not included the security bonds of the petitioners and the paper book on the cases.

March 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the apex court's verdict which disqualified the former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from contesting elections. According to The News, the petition was filed by the Attorney General of Pakistan, Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa.

March 14th, 2009 KARACHI - The former Pakistan Prime Minister and PML-N chief, Nawaz Sharif and his brother, sacked Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif may have garnered huge public support against the PPP led government and especially against President Asif Ali Zardari, but their voracious verbal attack on Zardari and continuous call to defy the government's orders has now seen a case filed against them in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on charges of orchestrating a mutiny. Pakistan Awami Himayat Tehrik leader Maulvi Iqbal Haider has filed a petition against the Sharif brother's for provoking people to disobey official orders.

March 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar has claimed that as per information about 200 criminals have been sent to Punjab with the target to assassinate the Sharif brothers on the whim of some high official of the PPP-led Government. Speaking after the election of chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate, Dar criticised the government for arresting party leaders including Raja Zafarul Haq and Zafar Ali Shah, in violation of the statement of the Interior Advisor that no directive has been issued to arrest people.

February 27th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan government has convened a session of the National Assembly Saturday to discuss the crisis arising from the Supreme Court decision barring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from contesting elections. The federal cabinet took the decision at a meeting here Friday.

February 26th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Supreme Court Wednesday barred former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from contesting elections and declared null and void the election of his younger brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, leading to the fall of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the country's most politically consequential province. Protests broke out all over Pakistan, particularly in the politically influential province of Punjab, the power base of the PML-N.

February 26th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan teetered on the brink of political crisis Wednesday after the Supreme Court barred former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from contesting the polls and also declared null and void the election of his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The verdict led to the fall of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the country's most politically consequential province.