Post conviction: Court declares petition for Gilani's removal 'premature'

A petition might not even be necessary until a detailed verdict is out, observes IHC.

ISLAMABAD: Wrapping up a petition filed for Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s removal as the prime minister, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared it to be "premature", saying that the detailed verdict might render it unnecessary, Express News reported.

“The petition is premature, wait for the detailed verdict,” observed the court.

Responding to the petition which had maintained that according to Article 63 (1) (g) of the Constitution, the prime minister stands disqualified from being a member of the National Assembly, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui remarked, “Article 63 (1) (g) does not mention the prime minister’s disqualification.”

“By the time the detailed verdict is out, a petition might not even be necessary,” he said.

Earlier, the petition filed in the IHC sought the court to order Gilani to stop serving as the prime minister after his conviction in a contempt case against him.

It states that Gilani had defied the Supreme Court’s orders by not writing a letter to the Swiss authorities, asking them to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and thus he should be disqualified.