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Pakistan’s top court scraps lifetime election bans

Pakistan's self-exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses a massive homecoming rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on Oct. 21, 2023.

Pakistan's self-exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses a massive homecoming rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on Oct. 21, 2023.

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John Haltiwanger
By John HaltiwangerJanuary 08, 2024
John Haltiwanger
John Haltiwanger is an award-winning journalist who covers US politics and foreign policy, and all things geopolitics. He has reported all over the US and the world, covering issues ranging from wars to refugee crises. He was formerly a Senior Writer at GZERO Media, and previously reported for Business Insider and Newsweek. He has a master's in international relations from the Univ. of Glasgow and a BA in history from St. Mary's College of Maryland.
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It’s a good day to be former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A court ruling just paved the way for him to run in next month’s general elections, by scrapping lifetime bans on politicians with prior convictions from running for office. The court has capped the ban at five years.

This is great news for Sharif, who resigned in 2017 after being found guilty of corruption and was blackballed. Sharif has been working to breathe new life into his political career after returning to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in late 2023.

Importantly for Sharif, the ruling does nothing for his archrival, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who since last August has been serving a three-year sentence for graft.

Sharif’s party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is considered a front-runner in the Feb. 8 elections, and he could potentially be elected PM for a fourth time. Meanwhile, Khan and his allies have accused the government of creating an unlevel playing field as the jailed ex-PM’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, faces a military crackdown.

Polling suggests Khan remains the most popular politician in Pakistan, but legal troubles and the crackdown have effectively left him sidelined with the elections just weeks away.
politicsnawaz sharifpakistanimran khanasia

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