IHC issues notice to Khawaja Asif over disqualification petition

ISLAMABAD: A larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notice to Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on a petition seeking his disqualification under Article 62 and 63 for concealing details of his foreign work permit, ARY News reported.

The larger bench, headed by Justice Aamer Farooq, and also comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, was hearing the petition filed by PTI Usman Dar against the foreign minister.

After initial hearing, the bench issued notice to the foreign minister to submit his response to the petition.

The PTI leader approached the court seeking disqualification of the foreign minister under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. Khawaja Asif had defeated Dar in the 2013 general elections with a margin of 21,000 votes.

The petitioner alleged that Asif did not disclose details of his employment with a Dubai-based company and his salary. Asif did not declare his employment with the foreign company in his nomination form for the 2013 general elections, he added.

He said the Supreme Court had disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on the same ground as he also did not disclose his salary from his son’s Dubai based company.

After the Panama joint investigation team unearthed Sharif’s UAE working permit, the permits of two federal ministers –  Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal – had also surfaced.

On July 28, the apex court had disqualified Sharif for hiding details of his employment with the Dubai-based company.