PA secretariat gets reference to disqualify CM Shehbaz

Complainant says Shehbaz has maligned the judiciary

LAHORE: Head of Armaan Welfare Foundation (AWF) had filed a reference at the Punjab Assembly secretariat to seek the disqualification of Chief Minster Punjab Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. He accused the CM of influencing, criticising and defaming the Supreme Court and the members of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which is probing the Panama gate scandal.



AWF President Amna Malik filed the reference through her counsel Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique and requested the disqualification of the chief minister under articles 62(1)(d) and 62(1)(e), along  with Article 63, of The Constitution of Pakistan 1973.

According to 62(1)(d), a member of parliament should be of sound character and not commonly known as the one who violates Islamic injunctions. Moreover, 62(1)(e) permited the member to have adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and to practice obligatory duties as prescribed by the religion.

Amna claimed that the chief minister targeted the JIT by criticising its members in his speech on June 7 and attempted to malign the judiciary. She said the chief minister had complained that the Sharifs were being “singled out” in the accountability process. “Accountability should be across the board and not limited to one family,” Shehbaz reportedly said at the time.



Amna added PML-N leaders were propagating the collapse of the judiciary which had been under attack for many months. “There must be an awareness on how the leadership of the PML-N divides the state to deflect attention from their failures, corruption and involvement in Panama cases,” she said. “The sense of dread is real and it will make Pakistan weak.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2017.