Zardari dual office case: LHC adjourns hearing till November 7

AAG requested adjournment due to SCBA elections.

LAHORE: A five-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the contempt petition against President Asif Ali Zardari till November 7. 

The five-member bench, comprising LHC Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh, Justice Sheikh Najamul Hasan, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, was hearing a contempt petition filed by Muneer Ahmad Khan against President Asif Ali Zardari for not complying with the court’s order in the dual office case.

As the proceedings began, Additional Attorney General Abdul Hai Gilani pointed out that the federation’s counsel Waseem Sajjad had filed an application for adjournment due to the Supreme Court Bar (SCBA) elections being held today .

He requested the bench to adjourn the matter.

The petitioner's counsel AK Dogar criticised the adjournment request and said that Waseem Sajjad was neither a candidate nor a supporter of any contestant, adding that he could cast his vote in Lahore as well.

Dogar, however, said that he had no objection if the matter was adjourned for a few days.

After hearing the arguments, the bench adjourned the matter till November 7.

The petitioner, in his petition, submitted that the president had not disassociated himself from the political office, as expected in a verdict given by the LHC in the dual office case in May last year.