Pak EC bars Nawaz Sharif from January 8 polls

Reuters Posted: Dec 03, 2007 at 0000 hrs
Lahore, December 3: Pakistan's Election Commission on Monday barred former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif from a January 8 general election because of past criminal convictions.

"His nomination papers are rejected because of his convictions," presiding election official Raja Qamaruzaman said in Lahore, Sharif's power base where last week he registered to run in the election.

Sharif says the convictions against him were politically motivated.