Pakistan Politics: Ousted PM Nawaz Sharif criticizes court ruling, says he's being targeted

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Pakistan's former prime minister has criticized a Supreme Court verdict that made him ineligible to be head of the ruling party, saying he was being targeted personally. Sharif was forced to step down last year over a corruption scandal. Our correspondent Danial Khan has more from Islamabad.

DANIAL KHAN ISLAMABAD "A three-judge bench of the supreme court of Pakistan has ruled that an individual who has been disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution cannot serve as head of a political party."

This came as a blow to the ruling Pakistan Muslim league Nawaz party, as the court also ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to denotify Nawaz Sharif as president of the PML-N.

Following the verdict, several supporters of ex- prime minister Nawaz Sharif gathered outside the supreme court and chanted slogans against the ruling.

The Election Commission has directed the PML-N's acting secretary general Ahsan Iqbal to elect an acting president within seven days and conduct party elections within 45 days to elect president of the party.

Last year, following the passage of the Elections Act 2017, the PML-N's majority in the National Assembly allowed Nawaz Sharif to be re-elected as the party chief.

Opposition parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Awami Muslim League and PPP had petitioned the supreme court to look into the controversial law, and the court had begun hearing the case in January, this year.

And in yesterday's judgement, the court declared Section 203 of the Elections Act — which allowed Sharif to retake his party's leadership as null and void.

The chief justice read out the verdict and said it is crucial for parliamentarians to be of good conduct to run the affairs of the Parliament. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan has called a meeting today to decide the future of upcoming Senate elections and by-polls in light of the supreme court's verdict. Danial Khan, CGTN, Islamabad.