ISLAMABAD, March 14: Just two days before the long march and sit-in planned by lawyers and opposition parties in the capital, the federal government decided on Saturday to approach the Supreme Court with a petition seeking review of its decision to disqualify the Sharif brothers.

“The federal government will file a review petition against the verdict of the Supreme Court disqualifying Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics,” a spokesman for the presidency, Farhatullah Babar, told Dawn. However, he did not say when the petition would be filed.

On Feb 25, a bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Mohammad Moosa K. Leghari, Syed Sakhi Hussain Bukhari and Sheikh Hakim Ali had disqualified the Sharif brothers from holding or contesting public offices by dismissing the appeals of the federal government against the June 23, 2008, Lahore High Court verdict declaring them ineligible to run for public offices.

The decision to file a review petition was taken during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the presidency.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Qamar Zaman Kaira and Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khurshid Shah also attended the meeting.
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