A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah will conduct hearing of the petition filed by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Nawaz Awan through his counsel Advocate Babar Awan under Article 199 of the Constitution.
The petitioner cited Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Secretary Finance, Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and Principal Information Officer of Information Ministry as respondents.
The petitioner adopted the stance that Shahbaz Sharif government was squandering money on newspaper advertisements and public money should be only spent on the welfare of the people. The petition said, “Non-development spending that too on the projection of one person at the expense of the entire nation of 22 core citizens are unbelievable and unacceptable under all norms of justice and sincerity to the public office.”
It added that all the respondents separately and jointly are beating drums of having no resources/ money in the national kitty and it has appeared repeatedly in the national press and in the public ever since the present regime got installed through a tainted motion of no confidence.
“Afore-noted claim of empty treasury came out as utter surprise to the public at large, when citizen saw massive spending beyond their imagination which was done by respondent no.1 being in league with the rest of respondents without any legal authority, mandate or lawful justification,” said the petitioner.
PTI leader Ali Nawaz Awan moved court against misuse of public funds on the advertisements of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to Turkey
He added, “That known public opinion makers and public awareness campaigners have taken note of doling out millions/ billions of rupees from the public treasuries on the self-projections of respondent No.1 Mian Shahbaz Sharif on his meaningless trip to Turkey.”
The PTI leader asserted, “Such advertisements, throughout the globe are never issued from the public funding to project any foreign trips. This act of respondent No. 1 as chief executive along-with other respondents is a sheer misuse of authority for personal, political benefits and advantages.”
Therefore, he prayed that the impugned advertisement issued by the respondents be declared completely unlawful, unconstitutional, illegal, void ab-initio and in total disregard of the order passed by honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan.
He also requested that the appropriate penal proceedings be ordered against the respondents for repeating the offence of public trust and abusing such trust by spending the public money on their personal whims and agendas.