Pakistan rejected Monday the nomination papers of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, possibly disqualifying him from the country's crucial parliamentary elections.
The decision could deepen the political crisis that has engulfed Pakistan since President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule a month ago.
Sharif was expected to meet fellow opposition leader Benazir Bhutto later Monday to urge jointly boycotting elections on Jan. 8. Both are former prime ministers of Pakistan who have recently returned from exile.
A boycott would be a serious blow to U.S.-backed efforts to return Pakistan to democracy after eight years of military rule. Musharraf has promised to lift the emergency — as demanded by Washington and the opposition — on Dec. 16.
A lawyer for Sharif said he was considering an appeal to a tribunal composed of senior judges.
"This decision has been made under pressure. This shows how free and fair the elections will be," said Imtiaz Kaifi, the lawyer.
Sharif, a two-time former prime minister who returned from exile late last month, is pressing for the opposition to unite and boycott the ballot because of Musharraf's use of emergency powers to purge the judiciary and secure his own continued rule.
Raja Qamaruz Zaman upheld objections from other candidates to Sharif's candidacy. They had complained that Sharif was ineligible because of a conviction on charges related to the 1999 coup, in which Musharraf ousted his government.
A court convicted Sharif of hijacking and terrorism charges for trying to prevent a plane carrying Musharraf back from a foreign trip from landing in Pakistan, despite a shortage of fuel.
A year later, Sharif agreed to go into exile for 10 years to avoid a life sentence in prison.
Rivals also complained about Sharif's alleged default on a bank loan and an incident in 1997 in which his supporters stormed the Supreme Court.
Zaman said only that the objections were "accepted" and provided no details.
The opposition demands that Musharraf, a close U.S. ally, rescind the state of emergency under which he fired independent-minded Supreme Court judges, blacked out the media and detained critics.
However, Bhutto's party is reluctant to boycott the ballot, saying it would hand pro-Musharraf parties a sure victory.
"The regime does not need to rig elections that are boycotted," said Bhutto, whose party is forecast to win a fair election. "But we still have the option later of protesting a rigged election, so we would rather all the political parties take part," she said after talks with visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Islamabad.
Musharraf had served dual roles as president and chief of the army. But he relinquished his military role last week to become civilian head of state in an effort to legitimize his rule.
From NPR reports and The Associated Press
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