Court puts off Arbab’s plea as ‘AG too busy’

KARACHI:

The hearing of a petition filed by former chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim to reopen the case against his ouster from Sindh Assembly was adjourned as the government’s legal representative was busy with another case.

In March, the provincial legislature declared Dr Rahim’s seat vacant, after a resolution regarding his continued absence from the house. The Sindh High Court has already reserved judgment on a petition filed by the former chief minister questioning his unseating. During the hearing, the Sindh government had relied on the notion of immunity to the speaker and the assembly’s proceedings being out of jurisdiction of court.

Dr Rahim, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (Likeminded) president, filed another plea after the Supreme Court, in the contempt case against Yousaf Raza Gillani, held that the assembly speaker’s rulings are open to scrutiny by the superior courts. The petitioner submitted that this judgment is likely to affect his case and the court was requested to hear the sides on this point alone.

Rasheed A Razvi, the petitioner’s counsel, challenged the ruling of the Sindh Assembly speaker and submitted that the unseating of Dr Rahim was mala fide and came after he refused to support the ruling coalition in the Senate elections.

The hearing was fixed on Thursday, but Advocate General (AG) Sindh, who is representing the provincial government, was not available and the hearing was put off till July 10.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2012.