A legal challenge has been mounted in the Lahore High Court opposing the reduction of the disqualification period to five years as stipulated in Section 232 of the Election Act, 2017.
In June, the National Assembly amended Section 232, which pertains to disqualification on the grounds of offenses in the Election Act, 2017, thereby limiting the disqualification of lawmakers to a period of five years.
Advocate Azhar Sadiq filed a petition on behalf of Mian Shabbir Ismail, making the federal government and other relevant entities parties to the case.
The petitioner contended that the parliament lacks the authority to enact legislation with a simple majority. The amendment to Section 232 of the Election Act, 2017, is alleged to be a violation of the law, and the petitioner has urged the Lahore High Court to declare the amendment as unconstitutional.
It is noteworthy that the recent amendment provided relief to figures such as PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and IPP’s Jahangir Tareen, among others.
