ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its verdict on the admissibility of a petition against National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for allegedly damaging the national exchequer.

A single bench of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq on Thursday heard the petition and reserved the verdict on the maintainability of the petition after hearing arguments of the counsel for the petition. The chief justice remarked that the court would pass an appropriate order in this case.

The petition was filed by a citizen, Hafiz Osama Riaz, through his counsel Riaz Hanif Rahi.

The petitioner claimed that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had approved Rs750 million for the celebration programmes of Independence Day but most of the share of the said amount was spent on the diamond jubilee events organised by the National Assembly on the instruction of Raja Ashraf.

The lawyer said that during the ceremony, under 14-year-old children delivered speeches while addressing the speaker. The lawyer claimed that this activity was against the law.

The petitioner said the speaker made foreign visits with a delegation of 25 parliament members when the country was facing ravaging floods and other natural disasters. He pleaded the high court to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to revoke his NA membership.

The petitioner has made the ECP, ECC, National Assembly, and Speaker Raja Pervaiz, parties in the case and alleged the speaker National Assembly for misuse of public exchequer in the National Assembly.

In his petition, he sought direction upon ECP to de-notify speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and further sought report by the ECP on his pending complaint.

After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its judgment on the admissibility of the case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022