Gov't to petition against Sharif ban

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 15 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government says it will ask the country's Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to ban two opposition leaders from seeking office.

The decision affected former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and his brother Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Dawn reported Sunday.

"The federal government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the verdict of the (Supreme Court) disqualifying Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics," presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

The Supreme Court last month disqualified the Sharif brothers from holding or contesting public offices. The former prime minister has accused President Asif Ali Zardari of influencing the high court's decision.

The decision sparked days of protests in Islamabad.