ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.
A single bench of the IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah rejected the petition moved by a citizen Fida Ullah residen of Lakki Marwat seeking Imran Khan’s disqualification over his statement that 16 MNAs sold their votes in the Senate elections in 2021.
The IHC bench dismissed the petition after hearing the arguments and termed the petition as inadmissible.
He said that the PM made the statement that 16 parliamentarians sold their votes in the Senate elections. He said that the Federal Minister Sheikh Rashid also admitted it and stated that action cannot be taken against them (MNAs).
The petitioner requested the court to declare PM Imran Khan disqualified over his confession. However, after the initial hearing of the plea, the IHC CJ declared it as inadmissible and directed the petitioner to ask MNA of his constituency to file a petition in this context.
Meanwhile, the same bench also reserved its decision regarding the maintainability of a petition moved by family of Ahmad Hassan Rana Advocate son of former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Muhammad Shamim Rana against some PTI ministers and leaders.
Their counsel stated that it is very mentally disturbing for the petitioners to face the questions such as “whether your father-in-law and grandfather has compromised his reputation for some perks and privileges awarded by Mian Muhammad Sharif to Justice (Retd) Rana Muhammad Shamim?”
He added that a misconception and a distorted image of Rana Muhammad Shamim and his son has been presented by TV media hubs working under the name and style of ARY News to promote the narrative designed by astute politicians such as Faisal Vawda, Fawad Ch for their ulterior motive to intentionally malign Rana Shamim.
The petitioners also mentioned the speech of former IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and video leak case of late judge of Accountability Court Arshad Malik.
He prayed to the court to declare that respondents including Vawda, Fawad Ch, Farrukh Habib and Abbassi are liable to disqualified under article 63 1 (a) AND 62 1 (f) of the Constitution of Pakistan,1973 and declare that they are not sagacious, righteous and non-profligate and honest and ameen. He also requested the court to declare them liable to be disqualified under Article 62 (1)(f) of the constitution of Pakistan, 1973 and for violating Rule 3 (i)(j)(k) and (l) of the PEMRA Code of Conduct, 2015.