SHC dismisses plea challenging Zardari’s dual office

Petitioner criticises the fact that Zardari was serving both as president and co-chairman of PPP.

KARACHI:

A larger bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) threw out a petition on Monday challenging the dual offices being held by the president.

The bench, comprising justices Maqbool Baqar, Faisal Arab and Sajjad Ali Shah, dismissed the plea, which was withdrawn by the petitioner, Rashid A. Akhunda. He had criticised the fact the president was serving as the president and co-chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Akhund, a senior lawyer, had taken President Zardari, the National Assembly speaker, the senate chairman, the federal law minister and the secretaries of the federal parliamentary affairs ministry to the court. In 2010, Akhund filed a petition, pleading the court direct the President to resign from the party`s co-chairmanship because he could not hold two offices under the Constitution.

The president is the symbol of the Federation of Pakistan and is the head of state for all Pakistanis, irrespective of political affiliations, said Akhund. The petitioner contended that either the president should vacate the presidency or leave the party position.

On Monday, the case was taken up by a larger bench exclusively formed to hear the petition, but the petitioner told the judges that he would not press his plea any more. After this statement, the judges dismissed the plea.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2013.