*ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court dealt a fresh blow on Thursday to the party ofNawaz Sharif, the prime minister it removed last year, by barring DaniyalAziz from contesting a general election on July 25.*
The ban on Aziz came just a day after an Election Commission tribunalbarred the outgoing prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who took overafter Sharif was ousted, from standing for election in his homeconstituency, though he is contesting another seat in Islamabad.
Sharif and his party have termed the cases and other several measures as apre-election attempt to tip the scales in favor of opposition politicianImran Khan.
Speaking to Reuters, Aziz gave a broad hint on Thursday that establishmentforces were behind his disqualification.
“Pakistan’s history in terms of using state institutions to managepolitical processes are well known … and the hope and prayer was that wehad moved beyond that and the facts are before you,” Aziz told Reuters.
The Supreme Court had held Aziz in contempt of court for describing itsremoval of Sharif as politically motivated. Aziz has denied the charges,saying that he was misquoted.
In the case of Abbasi, an Election Commission tribunal ruled that he hadfailed to declare an accurate value of his assets in his nomination papers.
Abbasi denied the charges and termed the decision illegal, saying he wouldappeal against the ban.
“It is an election for the parliament. They have made it a joke,” he toldtelevision news channels.
Abbasi’s disqualification applies only to his Murree constituency and notthe Islamabad seat that he is also contesting.
Under the election rules, candidates can contest several constituencies.
The rulings follow the arrest by an anti-corruption body of Qamarul Islam,another member of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), after hewas named to contest a seat.
Since his removal, Sharif has argued that the establishment, aided by topmembers of the judiciary, had orchestrated the lifetime ban on himreturning to politics.
Sharif is separately facing criminal charges in an anti-corruption courtthat could see him jailed in the coming weeks. The anti-graft body has alsoapproved a fresh inquiry into both Abbasi and Sharif over a liquefiednatural gas (LNG) terminal project.