The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled on Wednesday that ex-prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could not hold office on account of criminal charges against him. Sharif heads the country’s second largest party the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). The election of Sharif’s brother Shahbaz as chief minister of the Punjab was also nullified. President Asif Ali Zardari then put Pakistan's most populous province under direct rule for the next two months.
