ISLAMABAD, April 13: The government is considering promulgation of an ordinance to prevent re-election of any political leader as prime minister for a third term.

Sources close to the Chief Executive Secretariat told Dawn on Friday that a draft ordinance barring political leaders from election to the prime ministerial slot for a third time, was in the offing.

When contacted, Federal Law secretary Mansur Khan declined to admit or deny if such an ordinance was under consideration. “I refuse to answer your question,” was his agitated response when querried about the draft ordinance on Thursday.

Information Secretary Anwer Mehmud told Dawn on Friday that such an ordinance was not in his knowledge.

The sources said the proposed ordinance was in line with President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s repeated public statements that Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto would not be allowed, at any cost, to contest the forthcoming general elections.

Constitutional experts speculated that promulgation of the proposed ordinance might trigger petitions before the Supreme Court, seeking its orders to set aside the ordinance as being violative of the Constitution.

On Friday, this scribe tried to contact Federal Information Minister Nisar Memon and Minister of Law and Justice Dr Khalid Ranjha to seek their reaction to the proposed draft ordinance, but they were both not in the town. Even the spokesperson for the Ministry of Law, Syed Sultan Shah, was also out of station.

The proposed law targets the two former premiers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, who represent PPP and PML —- country’s two major political parties.