June 25, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 20, 1429

LAHORE, June 24: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will not accept the verdict by the Supreme Court if it upheld the Lahore High Court’s judgment against the eligibility of Mian Nawaz Sharif to contest by-election, a spokesman for the party said on Tuesday.

“We believe that Mian Nawaz Sharif is quite eligible to contest the election.

“Any judgment against his candidature will be against the Constitution and we’ll not accept it,” said Mr Siddiqul Farooq while talking to Dawn about the party’s stance in case the apex court came up with a decision unfavourable to the former prime minister.

The spokesman said the federal government was filing an appeal against the Lahore High Court judgment on its own, not with the concurrence of the PML-N.

He said the PML-N did not recognise the PCO judges and would not change its stance at any cost.

He said the Punjab government had approached the Lahore High Court when the eligibility of Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif was challenged and it was perhaps for this reason that the federal government was also following the same course when the Lahore High Court had disqualified Mian Nawaz Sharif.

He said the PML-N wanted the reinstatement of deposed judges as many problems facing the country would stand resolved with their return.

In his opinion now that all matters concerning the judiciary had been settled, the return of the deposed judges should not take more than a few days to take place.