Ishaq Dar's appointment as deputy PM challenged

KARACHI: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s appointment to the post has been challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC) as the hearing has been fixed for Friday, ARY News reported.

According to the details, the SHC two-member bench headed by the Chief Justice of the SHC Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi will hear the petition on Friday.

The petition was filed by Tariq Mansoor who argued that Ishaq Dar’s appointment as Deputy Prime Minister was ‘unlawful’ and unconstitutional. The petitioner maintained that a deputy prime minister slot is not mentioned anywhere in the constitution.

It is pertinent to mention here that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was assigned the additional responsibility of deputy prime minister, according to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Sunday.

Read More: Deputy PM Ishaq Dar to lead Pakistan delegation at OIC summit

The announcement coincided with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where they attended the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) special meeting on global collaboration, growth, and energy.

According to the notification, PM Shehbaz appointed Ishaq Dar as his deputy with immediate effect and until further orders. Before Ishaq Dar’s appointment to the post, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who was then with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid was appointed as the first deputy prime minister of  Pakistan in June 2012.

Earlier on on Wednesday the Foreign Office said in a statement that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar will lead the Pakistan delegation at the two-day 15th OIC summit being held in Banjul, the Gambia on May 4-5.

The Deputy Prime Minister Dar will also attend the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting preceding the Summit on 2-3 May where the ministers will discuss and finalize the agenda and outcome documents for the Summit.

The summit is being convened at a critical time for the Muslim ummah as the war on the people of Gaza continues unabated. It would be an important occasion for the OIC leaders to deliberate upon the dire situation in Gaza and project a strong, collective and unified stance on the Palestinian question.