IHC reserves judgement on plea against Sanjrani

Petitioner said Senate chairman does not fulfill age limit for holding president’s office

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its judgement on a petition challenging the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani's eligibility to hold office of the president during the president’s absence from the country.

The IHC’s Justice Aamer Farooq conducted hearing on a petition filed by a citizen, Afzal Shanwari. During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel contended that Sanjrani could not assume position of acting president under Article 49 of the Constitution which mentions the minimum age of the president.

The minimum age of the president is 45 years but the current Senate chairman has still not reached this age and so does not meet this criterion. He requested the court to stop Sanjrani work as acting president in absence of the president of Pakistan.



After hearing the arguments, the bench reserved its judgement on the petition. Separately, the IHC also sought an official reply from authorities with regard to reported disappearance of a religious activist, Qari Muhammad Yaseen.

Hearing the petition filed seeking recovery of the missing person, Justice Farooq remarked that this matter did not fall within the IHC jurisdiction. The petitioner's counsel, however, pleaded that at least the court could inquire from authorities. After hearing the arguments, the bench served notices to relevant departments and adjourned the case for an indefinite time.