The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit the complete record of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqui case.
A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Ayesha A Malik heard the case filed by the NAB chairman against Mrs Sharmila Faruqi and other regarding effect of the plea bargain on disqualification for holding a public office.
During the course of proceedings, the NAB prosecutor general said Sharmila Faruqui was sentenced to five years in prison and 21 years of disqualification in 2001.
He said NAB wrote a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding Sharmila Faruqui in 2016. The ECP was informed that Sharmila was not eligible for holding any public office, he added.
He said Sharmila Faruqui challenged NAB’s letter in the Sindh High Court, which annulled her sentence along with the letter.
Upon this, the chief justice asked how the high court could end the sentence when Sharmila did not file an appeal against it.
The counsel for Sharmila said it was futile to appeal against the sentence during the dictatorship.
The chief justice observed that the conviction of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the plane conspiracy case was annulled by the Supreme Court. Nawaz Sharif had taken the stand that he could not file the review petition in time due to being in exile, he added.
He said the Supreme Court accepted Nawaz Sharif’s position of ban on returning back to the country.
He asked how could the court cancel Sharmila Farooqui’s sentence on its own.
Subsequently, the case was adjourned till date in office.
