Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa commented on Monday that the Supreme Court’s decision on lifetime disqualification and amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, cannot coexist. In a landmark 2018 verdict, the apex court had ruled that disqualification under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution was meant to be “permanent.” The Elections Act was amended in June, limiting lawmakers' disqualification to five years with retrospective effect. CJP Isa noted potential confusion between the 2018 verdict and the Election (Amendment) Act, 2023, during a case related to the disqualification of ex-MPA Meer Badshah Khan Qaisrani. The matter was referred to a three-judge panel for constitutional interpretation, with a hearing scheduled for January 2024. The court affirmed that the case should not be used to delay the upcoming elections, set for February 8, and warned against spreading uncertainty, stating that it would be deemed contempt. The hearing also revealed a discussion on the effectiveness of the SC's lifetime disqualification verdict after the amendments to the Elections Act.