Plea against president, PM disposed of

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has disposed of a writ petition seeking disqualification of the president and the prime minister of Pakistan.

A two-member bench, comprising PHC Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ijaz Anwar, heard the petition filed by Khalid Shah. The petitioner appeared before the court to advance his arguments.

Khalid Shah submitted that, under the Constitution of Pakistan, sovereignty belongs to Allah, and the country must be run in accordance with the commands of God and His Messenger. He added that there is no room for deviation from this principle in the Constitution.

He highlighted that both the president and the prime minister, while taking their oaths of office, undertook to govern in light of the tenets of Allah and His Messenger. However, he added, this pledge has not been upheld, as the interest-based financial system continues to prevail in the country, which is against the principles of Islam.

The petitioner claimed that the interest-based system has paralyzed the national economy. He said that many state institutions operate within this system, and the federal government has entered into agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that involve the payment of interest. This, he pointed out, is contrary to Islamic principles.

Khalid Shah urged the court to disqualify the president and prime minister for violating their oaths of office and failing to implement an Islamic financial system.

He also urged the court to issue directives to abolish the interest-based economic system and replace it with an Islamic financial system.

He said that the agreements made with the IMF have not been disclosed to the public and requested the court to direct the federal government to release the details of these accords. He argued that citizens have a right to know the terms and conditions under which loans were obtained.

The petitioner suggested that the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa develop an independent Islamic financial system and avoid participating in any agreements with the federal government that involve interest-based transactions.

After hearing the arguments, the bench concluded the proceedings and declared that an appropriate order would be issued. Subsequently, the case was disposed of.