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ISLAMABAD, Dec 05 (APP): The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has disposed of the federal government’s 36-year-old appeals challenging the Federal Shariat Court’s verdict that had declared certain aspects of the electoral system as un-Islamic.
The appeals were settled after the government withdrew them.
A five-member Shariat Appellate Bench, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, heard the case on Friday.
During the proceedings, the Additional Attorney General informed the court that the laws earlier identified as un-Islamic by the Federal Shariat Court no longer exist, and that the Elections Act, 2017 is now the operative law governing elections in Pakistan.
He further stated that since the relevant provisions had been repealed, the government’s decades-old appeals had become ineffective and were therefore being withdrawn.
It may be recalled that the petition challenging the electoral system on Islamic grounds was originally filed 36 years ago, while the federal government had filed appeals against the Federal Shariat Court’s decision in 1989.
Agreeing with the government’s position, the Supreme Court disposed of the appeals on the basis of their withdrawal.