New Delhi: Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was today elected unopposed to the post of president of the PML (N).
According to Geo News, Sharif was elected unopposed, as no other party member submitted nomination papers to contest the election for the top party post.
Jafar Iqbal, who headed a five-member election body, said Sharif had been elected party president unopposed by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) central executive committee.
Sharif had to resign as prime minister in July after the Supreme Court disqualified him for not declaring a source of income and his family’s unexplained wealth, including apartments in London’s exclusive Mayfair.
The court ruled unanimously that Mr Sharif was “not honest” in disclosing all his assets when filing nomination papers for the 2013 parliamentary elections. The judges thus disqualified him from holding office under the terms of the constitution, which requires MPs to be “sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, honest and truthful”.
Sharif’s re-election is a shocker for many as his return brings him back into the political fold, contradicting those who thought he would no longer be politically relevant.
Parliament amended a law on Monday to enable Sharif to re-take the PML-N leadership. The vote was more of a formality as PML-N enjoys a vast majority.
Sharif has appeared before an anti-corruption court and is expected to be indicted next week, along with three of his children.
Nawaz Sharif’s wife had won the crucial by-election in Lahore this September that was seen as a test of support for the family after the Supreme Court dismissed Mr. Sharif from the office.
Begum Kulsoom won the NA-120 seat in a close contest with cricket-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf candidate Yasmin Rashid. The parliamentary seat, said to be a stronghold of the Sharif family, fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified Sharif.
The veteran leader denies any wrongdoing and has alleged there was a conspiracy against him, with senior PML-N figures pointing fingers at elements of Pakistan’s powerful military. The army denies playing a role.
Opposition leader Imran Khan called the passage of the bill, titled Election reforms Bill 2017, a “black day for democracy”.
