The Supreme Court will take up the case regarding disqualification of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday (today). A three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Moosa K. Leghari, Justice Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali will hear the case.
The Supreme Court had adjourned the hearing of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif's disqualification cases till September 9. Deputy Attorney General Iftikhar Shah will represent the Federation, which has filed appeals in the cases of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif. Sheikh Muhammad Akram advocate and A K Dogar advocate will represent appellants Mehar Zafar Iqbal and Shakeel Baig respectively. However, Ahmed Raza Qasuri will represent respondent Syed Khurram Shah.
The hearing was adjourned on the request of Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Iftikhar Hussain Shah who sought some time for study of the case. During the last hearing, he appraised the court that DAG Raja Abdur Rehman had resigned from his office, therefore, he required some time for preparations of the case.
Advocate Ahmed Raza Qasuri, counsel for Khurram Shah, opposed the request by terming it a tactic to delay the matter. He said that the country was passing through a critical phase; therefore, the court should decide the matter on urgent basis.
Earlier, Lahore High Court had barred Nawaz Sharif from taking part in the elections on pleas from rivals that he was convicted of kidnapping attempt and corruption charges. Similarly, in a case regarding the eligibility of Shahbaz Sharif, a two-member bench of the LHC had given a split verdict and matter was referred to Applet tribunal by the Chief Election Commissioner. The Federation moved against the decision in the SC.
The same bench had allowed Mian Shahbaz Sharif to hold the office of CM Punjab provisionally till the final decision of the petitions as both the petitions challenging his candidature would remain pending before the Election Tribunal of this court.
The federal government had filed appeals with the Supreme Court against Lahore High Court's order disqualifying PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif from contesting a by-election and referring a challenge to the candidature of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to an election tribunal. The Supreme Court on June 25 had stayed by-elections in NA-123 (Lahore) until disposal of the Federation's petition against the verdict of the LHC, which had barred Nawaz Sharif to contest by-elections.
The petition, which challenged the decision of LHC, was filed by DAG Raja Abdul Rehman. After the resignation of Attorney General Malik Muhammad Qayyum, Raja also bid farewell to his office. Speaker Punjab Assembly and the provincial government have also filed applications against the decision of the Lahore High Court in the case to become party in the election matter of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif through Chief Secretary Punjab which had already been clubbed in the main appeals for hearing.
Comments
Comments are closed.