Contempt plea seeking disqualification of PM Abbasi, others filed in LHC

LAHORE: A petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and 15 other PML-N parliamentarians for reported contempt against judges was filed in Lahore High Court on Wednesday, ARY News reported.

Amina Malik petitioned the high court requesting it to disqualify the prime minister, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and fourteen other ministers for what she said their anti-judiciary rhetoric.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Talal Chaudhry, Pervaiz Rasheed, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Abid Sher Ali, Rana Sanaullah are among those named as respondents in the petition.

The petitioner submitted in the petition that the respondents had launched a diatribe against the judiciary, which construed to be contempt of court. According to the Constitution, any propaganda against the judiciary and Pakistan Army would be deemed treason, she argued.

She said the respondents holding public offices have violated the Article 62, 63 of the Constitutions and added she approached the appropriate forums such as Chairman of the Senate, Speaker National Assembly to seek their disqualification, but to no avail.

The petitioner pleaded with the court to disqualify these ministers and initiate contempt of court proceedings against them. The court has been further requested to restrain Nawaz Sharif and other respondents from criticizing both the institutions.

A bench of LHC had earlier issued notices to Nawaz Sharif and other respondents for reply till August 25, on a petition seeking contempt proceedings against them for raging against the judges of the Supreme Court.

Advocate Azhar Siddiqui approached the LHC seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Sharif and other for consistently criticizing the Supreme Court judges who disqualified Sharif as prime minister for being dishonest.

The petitioner contended that Sharif criticized and held the judges of the Supreme Court in contempt for disqualifying him. His speech is an attack on the top court and breach of the Constitution, he added.