Disqualification: Speaker rejects ex-CJ’s reference against PM

Says party has not provided substantial proof to support allegations

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq has declared that Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party (PJDC) failed to provide substantial proof to support the allegations in its reference for the disqualification of the prime minister.

Former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s party had filed a reference before the speaker on August 8 seeking the premier’s disqualification for not being ‘Sadiq and Ameen’ in view of the Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution.

The speaker has rejected the reference in his seven-page ruling, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune

“In my opinion, no question has arisen of the disqualification of the respondent (PM Nawaz Sharif) in term of clause (2) of Article 63 of the Constitution. I therefore hereby decide not to refer the petition to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)”, the ruling said.

The speaker added that he has carefully considered the allegations contained in the petition and attached documents.

The ruling further explained that excerpts from the book Capitalism’s Achilles Heel and Ardeshir Cowasjee’s article, relied upon by the applicant contain only allegations and do not per se constitute as proof.

It is also held that the selected contents of Zafar Ali Shah’s judgment relied upon by the petitioner are actually submission of parties in the proceedings and not the findings of the court against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“No document establishing the respondent (PM) ownership of the properties detailed in the petition has been annexed”. The ruling further states that neither Hussain Nawaz’s statements in his purported interviews nor High Court of Justice Queen Bench’s decision nor Nawaz’s speech could establish the properties of premier. Sheikh Ahsen, senior attorney of PJDC told The Express Tribune that the party has decided to challenge the National Assembly speaker’s ruling in the Lahore High Court in the next couple of days.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2016.