President amends Act: Convicts can't hold party office
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar on Wednesday amended Political Parties
Act, providing that a convicted person or who is otherwise disqualified to be elected as a member of
the parliament, will not be able to hold party office.
The amendments in the Political Parties Act will hit the heads of Pakistan People's Party and PML as
both Ms Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have been convicted by the accountability courts on the
charges of corruption. Both have filed appeals against their convictions but the higher courts have not
yet suspended the judgments of the trial courts.
"It is a step towards political purification," Law Minister Aziz A. Munshi said at a press conference
here on Wednesday night. He further said that amendments in the Political Parties Act were made to
regulate the political activities in the country, adding: "criminalization of the society cannot and will not
be allowed."
He said that law was not violative of any fundamental rights and was in consonance with international
norms. He told a questioner that in England, a convicted person loses even the right of vote.
Answering a question when the law will come into operation, the minister said that government will
take cognizance if the law was violated.
The law has provided that any person violating the new law would be liable to be punished with
imprisonment up to three years and can be fined or both. The ordinance called the Political Parties
(Amendment) Ordinance 2000, has come into force. Amending section 4, of Political Parties Act, the
amended law has added a new proviso which reads as:
"Provided that person shall not be an office bearer of political party if he
- a) is disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being a member of Majlis-i-Shoora
(Parliament) under Article 63 of the Constitution or under any law for the time being in force; or
ii) has been convicted of any criminal offence involving moral turpitude or offence under the
Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 or offence involving public office order or morality and sentenced by a court
of law to imprisonment for not less than two years, unless a period of five years elapsed since his
release."
The amended law has also substituted section 7 with the following section:
"Any person who being disqualified to be an office bearer of a political party under this Act or who
has been convicted of any criminal offence and sentenced by a court of law as mentioned in clause (ii)
of proviso to sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Act as stated above, acts or hold himself out as office
bearer of that party shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may
extend to three years, or with fine or with both.
2) Any person who, after the dissolution of a political party under section 6, holds himself out as a
member or office bearer of that party, or acts for or otherwise associates himself with that party, shall
be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with
both.
3) If any person who was an office bearer of a political party at the time of its dissolution under
sub-section (2) of section 6 indulges or takes part in any political activity with seven years of its
dissolution, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which extend to three years or with
fine or with both."
When asked the law was promulgated to remove Ms Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from the
political scene, the minister said that it was the assessment of the questioner and he was free to draw
his conclusion. Law is very clear and there is no ambiguity in it, he added.
Good now we are moving towards getting the corrupt SOB'S out of power.
My question is who else should or would be added to this list.
And what will happen to the PPP and the PML with out their leaders.
And no the CE is not in that list - for all the Indians.
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CROIRE A L'INCROYABLE
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar on Wednesday amended Political Parties
Act, providing that a convicted person or who is otherwise disqualified to be elected as a member of
the parliament, will not be able to hold party office.
The amendments in the Political Parties Act will hit the heads of Pakistan People's Party and PML as
both Ms Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have been convicted by the accountability courts on the
charges of corruption. Both have filed appeals against their convictions but the higher courts have not
yet suspended the judgments of the trial courts.
"It is a step towards political purification," Law Minister Aziz A. Munshi said at a press conference
here on Wednesday night. He further said that amendments in the Political Parties Act were made to
regulate the political activities in the country, adding: "criminalization of the society cannot and will not
be allowed."
He said that law was not violative of any fundamental rights and was in consonance with international
norms. He told a questioner that in England, a convicted person loses even the right of vote.
Answering a question when the law will come into operation, the minister said that government will
take cognizance if the law was violated.
The law has provided that any person violating the new law would be liable to be punished with
imprisonment up to three years and can be fined or both. The ordinance called the Political Parties
(Amendment) Ordinance 2000, has come into force. Amending section 4, of Political Parties Act, the
amended law has added a new proviso which reads as:
"Provided that person shall not be an office bearer of political party if he
- a) is disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being a member of Majlis-i-Shoora
(Parliament) under Article 63 of the Constitution or under any law for the time being in force; or
ii) has been convicted of any criminal offence involving moral turpitude or offence under the
Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 or offence involving public office order or morality and sentenced by a court
of law to imprisonment for not less than two years, unless a period of five years elapsed since his
release."
The amended law has also substituted section 7 with the following section:
"Any person who being disqualified to be an office bearer of a political party under this Act or who
has been convicted of any criminal offence and sentenced by a court of law as mentioned in clause (ii)
of proviso to sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Act as stated above, acts or hold himself out as office
bearer of that party shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may
extend to three years, or with fine or with both.
2) Any person who, after the dissolution of a political party under section 6, holds himself out as a
member or office bearer of that party, or acts for or otherwise associates himself with that party, shall
be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with
both.
3) If any person who was an office bearer of a political party at the time of its dissolution under
sub-section (2) of section 6 indulges or takes part in any political activity with seven years of its
dissolution, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which extend to three years or with
fine or with both."
When asked the law was promulgated to remove Ms Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from the
political scene, the minister said that it was the assessment of the questioner and he was free to draw
his conclusion. Law is very clear and there is no ambiguity in it, he added.
Good now we are moving towards getting the corrupt SOB'S out of power.
My question is who else should or would be added to this list.
And what will happen to the PPP and the PML with out their leaders.
And no the CE is not in that list - for all the Indians.
------------------
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