ISLAMABAD – The 10-year disqualification period for graft convictions, as stipulated by the accountability rules of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), was reinstated by the Islamabad High Court on Thursday.
The division bench of the court, which is made up of Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Saman Rafat Imtiaz, granted the order to stay the single bench’s decision.
The single bench ruling stated that the disqualification period was five years rather than ten.
The ruling of today was made in response to a plea submitted by NAB challenging the reduction of the convict’s 10-year disqualification period to five years.
On January 1, NAB filed a request with the IHC about authorization for those found guilty under the NAB Ordinance to run in the general elections on February 8.
The NAB asked the supreme court to revoke the single bench ruling and reinstate the 10-year statute of limitations that barred NAB offenders from running for office.
The anti-graft agency claimed that those found guilty under the NAB rule have been using the high court’s single bench ruling as justification to run in the next elections.
NAB claims that in June of last year, a single bench of the IHC lowered the 10-year disqualification period for NAB offenders to five years.
In the intra-court appeal, the bureau has asked the top court to put the contested judgement on hold.
Supreme Court commences hearing to settle disqualification period for Pakistani politicians
