IHC bars unelected advisers, special assistants from heading govt committees
- The IHC declared the constitution of the cabinet committee on privatisation as illegal.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that unelected advisers and special assistants could not head government’s committees and has barred Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh from heading the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP).
The IHC took up a petition submitted by lawmaker Rana Iradat Sharif Khan. The petition challenged the appointment of Sheikh as chairman and Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood and Adviser to the PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain as members of the CCoP.
In his petition, Khan said that unlike ministers, advisers are not part of the federal government, and they do not take an oath and are not responsible to parliament in terms of Article 91(6) of the Constitution.
He prayed that the court declare the said notification void, illegal, unlawful, and set aside the same.
During a hearing on Monday, a division bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Ghulam Azam Qambrani declared the constitution of the cabinet committee on privatisation as illegal.
Ruling that advisers and special assistants could not interfere in the executive’s domain, the IHC said Sheikh could not head the committee under the law, The News reported.
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