LHC adjourns PM disqualification case

Asks govt’s counsel to provide ruling with regard to imposing fines on frivolous petitions

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has adjourned for an indefinite period the hearing of a plea seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for allegedly filing a false affidavit in the court with regard to the return of his brother and convicted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The petitioner, Azhar Abbas, had contended that when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government allowed Nawaz—a convicted person serving a jail term of seven years—in October 2019 to go abroad for medical treatment, Shehbaz submitted an affidavit, assuring the court that Nawaz would return after treatment.

He said Nawaz never returned to the country after his treatment and therefore Shehbaz, who served as a guarantor should be declared disqualified in view of articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

He had also sought formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe into the matter.

When proceedings started, the federal government's lawyer questioned the maintainability of the petition.

He contended that the petitioner should approach the relevant forum, stating that it was the PTI-led federal government which had allowed Nawaz to go abroad.

LHC Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad noted that over three years had passed since Nawaz’s exit from Pakistan. “Why did it take you so long to raise the matter,” the judge asked the petitioner’s counsel. “You (petitioner) should have knocked the doors of the then government.”

The petitioner's counsel requested the court to decide this petition on merit.

Justice Ahmad later directed the federal government's lawyer to provide a copy of the court's order with regard to the imposition of fine on petitioners filing frivolous petitions as the court adjourned for an indefinite period.