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Pakistan’s National Assembly has passed legislation limiting the length of time MPs can be removed from office, a country spokesperson said on Tuesday, paving the way for exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s return to politics.
Sharif has served as Pakistan’s prime minister three times – the last before he was sacked over corruption allegations in 2017.
The Supreme Court banned him from politics for life and he was later sentenced to seven years in prison.
In 2019, he secured a medical bail and traveled to Britain, where he has remained ever since, continuing to lead the family-run Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).PML-NBackstage party.
His brother, Shahbaz Sharif, became prime minister last year and the country is due to hold new general elections no later than October.
A government spokesman said on Tuesday that the acting president had signed an amendment to a law stating that courts can only exclude members of parliament “for a period not exceeding five years”.
The spokesman said Senate Speaker Sadeq Sanjrani assumed the position of acting president who signed the law on Monday in the absence of President Arif Alvi, who is abroad to perform Hajj.
“The ruling PML-N and its coalition partners want to bring back Nawaz Sharif,” political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP. “The bill has been passed to achieve this goal.”
He added, “Nawaz Sharif will be the main fighter of the Muslim League in the upcoming elections.” His return would be very beneficial for the party politically, but it is not clear whether he himself will contest the elections.
Sharif still faces the graft case in which he was adjudicated under his successor, Imran Khan, who won power vowing to undo the corruption that has historically plagued the country.
But in Pakistan, the legal issues that entangle politicians in the opposition usually recede once their party regains office.
Shahbaz ousted Khan last April through a vote of no confidence. However, he heads a fragile coalition of parties, while Khan remains hugely popular in the election countdown.
Khan had been calling for snap elections, but his campaign was bogged down in dozens of legal cases.
And last month he was briefly arrested on corruption charges in Islamabad, sparking bloody unrest during which supporters of his party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, flooded the streets and clashed with police.
In the aftermath of his release after three days in custody, the MEP was targeted by a crackdown with thousands of arrests, reports of intimidation and muzzling of the press.
Khan says his party is being suppressed by the PML-N-led government and the powerful military establishment.
Sharif has served as Pakistan’s prime minister three times – the last before he was sacked over corruption allegations in 2017.
The Supreme Court banned him from politics for life and he was later sentenced to seven years in prison.
In 2019, he secured a medical bail and traveled to Britain, where he has remained ever since, continuing to lead the family-run Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).PML-NBackstage party.
His brother, Shahbaz Sharif, became prime minister last year and the country is due to hold new general elections no later than October.
A government spokesman said on Tuesday that the acting president had signed an amendment to a law stating that courts can only exclude members of parliament “for a period not exceeding five years”.
The spokesman said Senate Speaker Sadeq Sanjrani assumed the position of acting president who signed the law on Monday in the absence of President Arif Alvi, who is abroad to perform Hajj.
“The ruling PML-N and its coalition partners want to bring back Nawaz Sharif,” political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP. “The bill has been passed to achieve this goal.”
He added, “Nawaz Sharif will be the main fighter of the Muslim League in the upcoming elections.” His return would be very beneficial for the party politically, but it is not clear whether he himself will contest the elections.
Sharif still faces the graft case in which he was adjudicated under his successor, Imran Khan, who won power vowing to undo the corruption that has historically plagued the country.
But in Pakistan, the legal issues that entangle politicians in the opposition usually recede once their party regains office.
Shahbaz ousted Khan last April through a vote of no confidence. However, he heads a fragile coalition of parties, while Khan remains hugely popular in the election countdown.
Khan had been calling for snap elections, but his campaign was bogged down in dozens of legal cases.
And last month he was briefly arrested on corruption charges in Islamabad, sparking bloody unrest during which supporters of his party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, flooded the streets and clashed with police.
In the aftermath of his release after three days in custody, the MEP was targeted by a crackdown with thousands of arrests, reports of intimidation and muzzling of the press.
Khan says his party is being suppressed by the PML-N-led government and the powerful military establishment.
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