Summary sent to PM for review on Hanif Abbasi's appointment

ISLAMABAD: The cabinet division on Saturday submitted an interim report about the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order to the PM Shehbaz Sharif for review of PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi’s appointment as special assistant, ARY News reported.

“The cabinet division has initiated process for May 09 court order for review on appointment of Hanif Abbasi,” the cabinet division said in its report.

“A summary has been forwarded to the prime minister and a final report, comments will be submitted to the court after the prime minister’s order,” according to the report.

Earlier, the cabinet division prepared a summary over the matter and dispatched it to the PM via the Ministry of Law, sources said.

The summary, prepared by the deputy secretary, seeks review of appointment of Hanif Abbasi as Special Assistant to PM on the high court’s order.

Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah on May 09, issued the directive while hearing a plea filed by former interior minister Sheikh Rashid, who had challenged Abbasi’s appointment as a special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM).

In the petition, Rasheed pointed out that Hanif Abbasi had been appointed the SAPM through a notification dated April 27. “Both the notification and [the] appointment are illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and violative of the principles of good governance and the rule of law,” he said.

The petitioner noted that a FIR dated July 21, 2012 was registered against Abbasi in Rawalpindi under Sections 9(c), 14 and 15 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997.

He maintained that on April 11, 2019, the Lahore High Court (LHC) only suspended Abbasi’s sentence and not the conviction.

The court had directed the PM to review his decision of appointing Abbasi as SAPM.