Pakistani Election Commission bars Sharif from poll

Lahore: Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was banned on Monday from a January 8 general election because of past criminal convictions, an Election Commission official said.

"His nomination papers are rejected because of his convictions," said presiding election official Raja Qamaruzaman.

Sharif says the convictions against him were politically motivated.

Sharif’s lawyer earlier said that a disqualification ruling was likely.

Opposition supporters also said that Sharif's exclusion from the vote would be the result of President Pervez Musharraf's pressure on election officials to block his old rival.