Petition filed against CM’s pictures on Speedo buses

Three more petitions on speeches against anti-judiciary sent to a larger bench

LAHORE: Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court (LHC) reserved a decision on the maintainability of a petition filed by a citizen who sought the removal of pictures of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif from the Speedo Bus Service. He said the images were causing huge losses to the national exchequer.

In his petition, petitioner Syez Azhar Abbas challenged the action of the Punjab government. He said politicians were advertising themselves with money from the national exchequer. He said for the advertisement of Shehbaz, huge money amounts of money from the taxes of common people was being spent.

He maintained that personal advertisements were being conducted rather than spending money on health, education and other sectors to facilitate the masses. He requested the court that directions be issued for the removal of the pictures of CM Shehbaz Sharif from the bus service.

Justice Shahid Karim reserved the decision on whether the petition was maintainable or not.

Anti-judiciary speeches

Meanwhile, Justice Shahid Karim sent three petitions against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders to a three-member bench for allegedly delivering anti-judiciary speeches. The petitions alleged that this was tantamount to inciting the public, treason and contempt of court.

Justice Shahid Karim took up the petitions which were later sent to a three-member bench to hear them.

The petitioner Amina Malik filed the petitions through her counsel Advocate Azhar Siddique who told the bench that anti-judiciary speeches were being delivered to incite the people. She added MQM London’s speeches were banned for the same reason by the court.

The petitioner requested the court that a ban be imposed on the former PM’s speeches. However, the three-member bench will hear these petitions on April 2.

Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh of LHC, on Monday, also sent a petition to a three-member bench. It was filed by a man seeking a ban on the anti-judiciary tirade by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He stated that the ban should be similar to the one imposed on the speeches of MQM London Chief Altaf Hussain.

NA-120 result

In another case, LHC reserved decision on the maintainability of a petition filed by PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid against the unverified votes cast to the PML-N leader Kalsoom Nawaz, wife of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in the NA-120 by-polls.

Dr Yasmin had challenged the 29,000 allegedly unverified votes of the constituency NA-120. The petitioner said the record of over 29,000 votes of the constituency was not available with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and thus, the unverified votes were cast in the by-poll last year. She requested the court to direct the ECP to cancel the unverified votes and also set aside the result. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2018.