ISLAMABAD: After extensive deliberation, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday overturned the lifetime disqualification of lawmakers, revoking its prior ruling that barred politicians from seeking office indefinitely.

The court asserted that individuals disqualified under Article 62(1)(f) cannot be permanently barred from participating in elections, thereby nullifying its significant decision in the Samiullah Baloch case.

The seven-member larger bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and including Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya Afridi, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Musarrat Hilali, presided over the case hearings.

The proceedings were made accessible to the public through live broadcasts on the apex court’s website.

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The legal complexity emerged following the passage of amendments to the Elections Act 2017 by the parliament, which limited the disqualification period for politicians to five years, as opposed to a lifetime, contrary to the Supreme Court’s previous directive categorizing disqualification under Article 62(1)(f) as “permanent.”

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