Controversial party office: Ruling party put on notice

PML-Q seeks directives for production of records

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on a plea seeking court directives to summon from the Supreme Court registrar records of undertakings and affidavits submitted by the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister before they went into exile.

IHC judge Noorul Haq N Qureshi issued the notice to the ruling party for May 19 on an application of Pakistan Muslim League-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

The PML-Q chief has contended that the documents, undertakings and all other agreements among the incumbent prime minister, the Musharraf government, and Saudi Arabia in 2000 were crucial to resolving issues around PML House in Islamabad, which both parties claim as their property.

The PML-Q chief, through his counsel Sardar Abdul Raziq, said that the petitioner filed an application with the Supreme Court registrar for a copy of the documents but the registrar office refused to entertain on the ground that the petitioner was not a party to the proceedings and the copy could not be given to him.

Since 2010, the PML-N has been trying to retake the house from its breakaway faction by legal means and claim rent for the period it remained under ‘occupation of PMLN-Q’.

In the financial statement submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) before the 2013 general elections, the PML-N had shown the house in the list of party’s assets, even though the building was in possession of the PML-Q, which had also listed the building in its assets.

The PML-Q established its office in the building before the 2002 elections when Nawaz Sharif was in exile in Saudi Arabia.

The PML-Q chief has contended since the agreements were in possession of the prime minister and his government, the defendants would be unable to cross-examine the witness without production of documents. His counsel has sought direction for production of original documents in the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2016.