LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) will hear on Monday a petition of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) as an “objection case” seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

The LHC registrar office raised an objection to the petition’s maintainability, saying necessary documents had not been provided by the petitioner.

Therefore, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan will take up the petition on Aug 1 as an objection case and decide the objection raised by the registrar office first.

The petition was jointly filed by the PTI’s former MNA Andleeb Abbas and Advocate Hassaan Khan Niazi, pleading the prime minister misused his powers and violated the Constitution by allowing his son Suleman and nephew Hussain Nawaz, both proclaimed offenders, to meet the Saudi crown prince during an official visit.

The petitioners stated the prime minister took his cabinet members to London to meet former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former finance minister Ishaq Dar, both proclaimed offenders.

They submitted that the prime minister and his cabinet members violated the Official Secret Act 1923.

They asked the court to disqualify the respondents and also direct the police to initiate criminal proceedings against the PM and his cabinet members.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2022