QUETTA - Justice Tahira Safdar of the Balochistan High Court (BHC), while accepting a petition against the removal of former Speaker Balochistan Assembly Muhammad Aslam Bhootani, issued notices to the deputy speaker and the assembly secretary on Friday.
Former Speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani who was ousted from speakership through a secret ballot on December 26 challenged the resolution in the BHC, contending it was violation of the Constitution and rules.
Counsel for Aslam Bhootani, Baz Muhammad Kakar advocate, submitted an application to the BHC, pleading that the procedure adopted by the Balochistan Assembly on the no-trust move was violation of the Constitution and rules.
He pleaded that during the secret ballot the members of provincial assembly disclosed their votes to government officials, which was insult of the public mandate while the procedure adopted for Bhootani’s his ouster was against democracy and sheer violation of the Constitution.
Bhootani contended in the application that he had not submitted this petition for his seat, but the sole purpose of this move was against the unconstitutional procedure so that such practices could be curbed in future.
He expressed the fear that if this act was not declared illegal and unconstitutional by the court, it would become a wrong example. The applicant pleaded that the assembly secretary was completely unaware during all the course of the no-trust move, which was again violation of the rules and regulations of the assembly.
After hearing the stance of the counsel for the petitioner, the court accepted the petition for hearing and issued notices to the deputy speaker, the secretary and deputy secretary of the Balochistan Assembly for December 31.