LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Thursday summoned the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) for assistance on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over his family members’ alleged involvement in offshore business.
The chief justice directed the AGP to appear on November 1.
The petitioner counsel stated that Panama leaks had revealed massive corruption of the ruling family, which had also been involved in money laundering. He stated that even foreign media was calling PM as the most corrupt premier of the country.
He stated that the PM had no ground to hold public office after Panama’s allegations, as he was unfit for the same under articles 62 and 63 of the constitution.
He said that a reference had been filed before the National Assembly speaker against Nawaz Sharif but he dismissed the reference without fulfilling the legal requirements of sending it to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He stated that the speaker had no power to dismiss the reference.
He requested the court to set aside the order of the speaker regarding reference against the premier, and order the ECP to declare Nawaz Sharif disqualified.
A member of the Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party (PJDP) – headed by former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry – had already challenged the eligibility of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as member of parliament.
Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had issued notice to the federal government, National Assembly speaker and the ECP on the petition of the PJDP, challenging the speaker’s act of dismissing a reference for disqualification of the prime minister in the wake of Panama leaks.
