December 11, 2002	Wednesday	Shawwal 6, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali’s adviser on Women Development and Social Welfare, Nelofar Bukhtiar, is a convict and her appeal against the judgment is still pending in the Supreme Court, which, as an interim measure, had only suspended her sentence and allowed her to come out of jail on bail.

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, those convicted on charges of contempt of court were not allowed to contest elections. It was ruled that such persons should not be allowed to hold public office.

Chaudhry Akhtar Rasool and a number of other politicians had not been allowed to contest election on the same grounds.

The Supreme Court sources confirmed that an appeal of Nelofar Bukhtiar against her conviction by the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, on charges of contempt of court, was still pending and would be heard upon its turn.

Nelofar Bukhtiar, who is related to the Principal Secretary to the President, Tariq Aziz, also contested general election from PML-Q platform against Shaikh Rashid Ahmad, an independent candidate, and lost by a wide margin. Her candidature was not challenged by anybody.

The military government, which enacted a law to bar the defeated politicians from entering the Senate, made her adviser to the prime minister on the first day of formation of cabinet. On Monday, the president granted her status of a minister of state.

Under the qualification and disqualification criteria provided in the Constitution and the Conduct of General Election Order, a person who was propagating an opinion, or acting in a manner prejudicial to the integrity or independence of the judiciary, or who defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or armed forces of Pakistan is not qualified to hold any public office.

The law further provides that a person convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction on charges of corrupt practices, moral turpitude or misuse of power, is not qualified to hold any public office.

Mohammad Akram Sheikh, Senior Advocate Supreme Court, had represented Nelofar Bakhtiar in the SC and had got her conviction suspended as an interim measure.

She started her political career from Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation as a nominee of Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.

She was sentenced to undergo six months’ imprisonment on Nov 22, 1995, by a bench of the Lahore High Court, consisting of Justice Raja Aziz Bhatti and Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain.

She, along with twelve others, was charged with committing contempt of court when the bail application of Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, who was convicted for possessing an illegal Klashnikov, was rejected by the division bench.