SC disposes of 36-year-old polls system appeals

The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has disposed of the federal government's 36-year-old appeals challenging the Federal Shariat Court's verdict that had declared certain aspects of the electoral system as un-Islamic. The appeals were settled after the government withdrew them.

A five-member Shariat Appellate Bench, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, heard the case on Friday.

The additional attorney general informed the court that the laws earlier identified as un-Islamic by the Federal Shariat Court no longer exist, and that the Elections Act, 2017 is now the operative law governing elections in Pakistan.