Contempt and eligibility: Plea for PM’s disqualification delayed

CJ hearing two identical petitions seeking orders to restrain PM Gilani from holding his office

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed on Friday postponed the hearing of a petition till May 30 because the petitioners’ counsel was not available in court due to hearing at the Supreme Court. The chief justice is hearing two identical petitions seeking orders to restrain Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani from holding his office and seek an explanation from him to the law that allows him to remain the premier despite being found guilty of contempt by the Supreme Court. The petitions were filed by Advocate Shahid Naseem Gondal and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Inqilab Chairman Rana Ilmuddin Ghazi through their counsel AK Dogar. They said that after the conviction and undergoing the sentence, Gilani could no longer hold the office of the prime minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2012.