The Supreme Court, in a 6-1 majority verdict, overturned the lifetime disqualification for lawmakers under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. This means that PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s Jahangir Tareen are now free to contest the upcoming general elections. The court ruled that the interpretation of Article 62(1)(f) exceeded its scope and violated fundamental rights. It acknowledged the 2023 Elections (Amendment) Act, which sets a five-year disqualification period, clearing the way for Nawaz and Tareen to stand in elections. The legal conundrum arose from the court’s 2018 judgment, which was overruled in this latest decision. The dissenting opinion from Justice Yahya Afridi supported the legal validity of the previous judgment. PML-N and IPP welcomed the “landmark” verdict, while PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari commented that it was a good development for the country’s democracy and politics in the long run.