ISLAMABAD, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistan Supreme Court on Friday disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for lifetime from holding any public office.
A five-member bench delivered the verdict on the question of the period of the disqualification of a member of the parliament. The court had disqualified Sharif as prime minister over corruption charges last year but it had not mentioned the disqualification period in the verdict that was delivered on July 28, 2017.
The five judges in an unanimous ruling said those who are not "honest" and "truthful" under the country's constitution are "banned from parliament for life."
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Sharif rejected the verdict and said the former prime minister was "punished for eliminating terrorism and carrying out development projects."
"The verdict is a joke and such decisions have also been announced about 17 prime ministers," State Minister of Information and Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb said.
The minister told reporters in Islamabad that the verdict will not affect the PML-N's performance and the party will be victorious in the coming parliamentary elections, which are scheduled in July.
An influential opposition leader Jehangir Tarin, who belongs to Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf or Justice Movement, was also declared disqualified for life under the judgment.