Govt set to amend laws which led to Nawaz's disqualification

Articles 62, 63 detail conditions on which a lawmaker can be declared eligible for public office

The government is set to initiate proceedings to amend Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, which led to the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from office last month.

According to Express News, the decision was announced by Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid at the National Assembly session on Tuesday.

Hamid said the law does not provide as to how long a lawmaker should remain disqualified; which, he added, should be less than five years.

"Government wants this amendment and the proposal will be tabled before the constitutional committee for implementation after due consultation," he was quoted as saying.



On July 28, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court had disqualified Nawaz from the PM’s office for failing to declare a salary, which he had not withdrawn as an executive of Dubai-based company, as an asset when filing his nomination papers in 2013.

While the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has called for a "grand national dialogue" following Nawaz's ouster, political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party have ruled out any immediate support to the PML-N.

A brainchild of former military dictator General Ziaul Haq, the said articles detail conditions on which a lawmaker can be declared eligible for public office.