Pakistan SC adjourns Govt appeal on Sharif disqualification
30 Jun 2008, 1909 Hrs

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Islamabad, June 30 (ANI): Pakistan's Supreme Court today adjourned for two weeks the hearing of an appeal filed by the government against a High Court's order disqualifying former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from contesting the by-polls.

The three-judge bench of the apex court adjourned the hearing of the appeal after Deputy Attorney General Raja Abdur Rehman sought more time to examine replies filed by Noor Elahi and Khurram Shah, the two persons on whose petitions the Lahore High Court had barred Sharif from contesting by-polls on June 26.

The Supreme Court put off polling in the parliamentary constituency in Lahore from which Sharif had planned to contest the by-polls.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) swept the by-polls held in 28 national and provincial assembly constituencies.

Deputy Attorney General Rehman told reporters that Elahi and Shah had filed written replies today in the apex court. Following this, he sought more time to go through the replies.

Rehman also asked the apex court to allow the by-polls to be held in the constituency in which Sharif had filed nominations but Elahi and Shah opposed this. Rehman said Sharif is qualified to contest polls and the question of his candidature should be decided by an election tribunal and not the High Court.

Sharif was also banned from the general election in February due to his conviction in the case relating to the hijacking of Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's plane in 1999.

Unsatisfied by the verdict of the Lahore High Court, the PML-N workers shouted slogans against the government outside the High Court. (ANI)