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       Pakistani Justices Reject Ban for Politicians With Past Convictions

       The decision by the Supreme Court paves the way for a former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, to run in parliamentary elections in February.

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       Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister of Pakistan, addressing his supporters during a rally in Lahore in October. Credit...Anjum Naveed/Associated Press

       By Salman Masood

       Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

       Jan. 8, 2024, 2:04 p.m. ET

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       Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday overturned a law that barred politicians with past convictions from seeking political office, in a move that paves the way for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to run in parliamentary elections in February.

       A seven-justice panel of the country’s top court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled 6-1 that a person could not be banned for life from running for office. The court said instead that politicians could be barred for a term of only five years.

       Critics had said that the law was draconian and used for political persecution.

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