LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought reply from the Punjab government in a petition seeking action against Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif over his anti-judiciary and anti-army speech.

LHC’s Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh passed the order while hearing petition of Syed Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi, who sought the CM’s disqualification for making such statement on International Women’s Day.

By uttering such words, the petitoner claimed, Shehbaz Sharif tried to cause damage to both the national institutions. He alleged that the CM, during his speech, asked for the accountability of the judges and army officials. By giving such statement, he maintained, the CM had made mockery of these both institutions.

He asked the court to declare CM Shehbaz as disqualified.

HAFIZ SAEED’S DETENTION CASE

The Punjab government on Tuesday submitted a Review Board’s report before a division bench of the Lahore High Court regarding house arrest of Jamatud Dawa Chief Hafiz Saeed and his four aides.

The bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali postponed for a day the hearing of petition.

Hafiz Saeed and his four aides including Prof Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid, Qazi Kashif Hussain and Abdullah Ubaid had challenged their detention by the provincial government, and termed it against the fundamental rights.

However, the government extended their detention for next 90 days after their first phase of extension completed last month. The petitioners said that the government putting them under detention due to pressure of international organisations. They said they were peaceful citizens and had been detained without any reason.

On January 28, the provincial government had placed names of Hafiz Saeed, Abdullah Ubaid (Faisalabad), Malik Zafar Iqbal Shahbaz (Markaz Tayyaba Muridke), Abdul Rehman Abid (Markaz Tayyaba Muridke) and Qazi Kashif Hussain of Multan in fourth schedule of Anti Terrorism Act and on February 30 had put them under detention for 90 days.

Earlier, the interior ministry had given recommendation to the Punjab government and intimated it that Jamatud Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation were engaged in certain activities which could be prejudicial to peace and security and in violation of Pakistan’s obligations to the United national Security Council Resolution No 1267 and had accordingly placed both organizations in the second schedule of ATA under its section 11-D (1).