Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif in Hot Waters
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Time is rapidly diminishing for Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan to overturn their convictions and become eligible for participation in the upcoming general elections.
With the election date set for February 8, 2023, these prominent leaders have roughly one month to secure court decisions that would make them eligible for electoral participation.
The Election Commission of Pakistan will need to announce the election schedule in the early part of next month to meet the February 8 election date. At least 54 days are required for the election schedule, meaning the announcement must come in the first week of December 2023.
The primary hurdle facing both Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan is their disqualification from contesting elections or holding public office due to prior court convictions. Imran Khan, for instance, was convicted in the Toshakhana case, with his sentence being temporarily suspended by the Islamabad High Court.
However, the conviction itself remains. To qualify for electoral participation, Imran Khan must secure an acquittal in the Toshakhana case, which depends on the IHC expeditiously scheduling the hearing of his appeal against the conviction.
Typically, such appeals in criminal cases are heard in sequence, and the process can also consume a significant amount of time. Nawaz Sharif faces a similar challenge, needing acquittal from the IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases and resolving his lifetime disqualification in the Panama case.
While the IHC has reactivated Nawaz Sharif's appeals in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases, they are not yet scheduled for hearings. It is anticipated that these appeals may be expedited and decided, but the looming threat to Nawaz Sharif's political future remains his lifetime disqualification in the Panama case.
Furthermore, a recent Supreme Court ruling on the SC's Practices and Procedures Act 2023 has cast doubt on Nawaz Sharif's prospects of overturning his convictions.
