Ex-attorney general says SC has no authority to disqualify any parliamentarian

KARACHI: Former Attorney General Irfan Qadir on Friday said the Supreme Court had no authority to disqualify any parliamentarian.

“From the first day I have this opinion that where in the constitution of Pakistan has the Supreme Court (SC) authority to disqualify any parliamentarian and that too on the basis of (judging) whether the parliamentarian’s assets are obtained through legal or illegal means,” he said durign ARY News program ’11th Hour’.

He said the apex court had no such authority under the constitution or the law of Pakistan.

It is apropos to bear in mind that, in March 2015, the SC had revoked license of the former Attorney General Irfan Qadir.

To a query that what if the court followed the precedent of ousted PM Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification in the court proceeding against Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and Secretary General PTI Jahangir Khan Tareen, he said in my opinion, it would be sheer blunder if the court followed Nawaz Sharif’s precedent.

The top court will on Friday announce verdict in the disqualification case against Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar is heading the three-member bench in the case.