Court bars Pakistan opposition leader

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif can no longer hold elected office, the country's Supreme Court says.

The high court issued the decision on Sharif Wednesday in a move that was expected to stir more political turmoil in Islamabad as it deals with a militant insurgency in its northwest and tense relations with neighboring India, The New York Times reported.

The Pakistani justices ruled that Sharif cannot hold office because he has been convicted of a crime. A prime minister twice in the 1990s, Sharif's political relations with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari have worsened since the collapse of their coalition last year, the newspaper said.

The Supreme Court ruling upheld a decision by the Lahore High Court declaring that Sharif, who was overthrown in a coup by former President Prevez Musharraf, was ineligible to run in by-elections because of previous criminal convictions, the Press Trust of India reported.

The court also ruled that the election of Sharif's brother, Shahbaz Sharif, as Punjab chief minister was invalid and ordered him to step down from the position. That ruling could spark a power struggle in Pakistan's richest province, PTI reported.