Sharif brothers’ eligibility case adjourns until Nov. 20

The Supreme Court of Pakistan here on Wednesday while expressing its dismay over procedure for serving notices to Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif re-issued notices for the third time.

The three-member bench comprising Justice Moosa K. Leghari, Justice Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali adjourned hearing till November 20 for the purpose of granting time to Deputy Attorney General to seek instructions from the Federation and Advocate General Punjab Khawja Haris to intimate both the respondents verbally.

The bench heard pleas filed by the Federation and the Government of Punjab against Lahore High Court’s decision of June 24, in which it disqualified Nawaz Sharif from contesting the elections while conditionally allowed PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif to hold office of Chief Executive of the province.

At the outset of legal proceedings, Justice Moosa K.Leghari expressed his annoyance over the matter of serving of notices.

“You are the principal law officer of the province and we expect that you will ensure that notices are properly served to those concerned,” Justice Moosa K. Leghari told Khawja Haris and further added, “Its a dismay.”

He said, “We are restraining ourselves from such actions which may be humiliating to the respondents, and giving equal opportunities, we are not going to extreme position.”

Khawja Haris apprised the bench that both the leaders were out of the country during this period.

To a suggestion by Justice Moosa K. Leghari that Khawja Haris should himself serve notices on respondents, he replied I was representing the petitioner and how I could serve the notices to respondents.

Justice Leghari remarked that you were representing petitioner for the benefit of respondents.

Justice Leghari put question to Deputy Attorney General Agha Tariq Mehmood that you were also here for the benefits of those had not been accepting postal services.

He also inquired about the details of three petitions with which the bench was seized.

Advocate General Punjab Khawja Haris said that he was appearing in Shahbaz Sharif and Speaker Punjab Assembly pleas against decision of Lahore High Court, while DAG apprised that he was representing Federation against disqualification of Nawaz Sharif by the LHC.

AK Dogar Advocate apprised the bench that he was representing Shakil Baig proposer and seconder to Nawaz Sharif.

He said that the case related to elected representatives and constituency and it did not matter whether Nawaz Sharif was here or not as both the proposer and seconder in the election matter were here.

Attorney General for Pakistan Sardar Latif Khosa and Akram Sheikh, counsel for Maher Zafar Iqbal, another respondent in the case, were also present during the proceedings.

A full bench of Lahore High Court comprising of Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha, Justice M. Bilal Khan and Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi in June had allowed two petitions against Sharif brothers’ eligibility to contest elections and hold offices.

Noor Elahi, a rival candidate of PML-N chief Nawaz from the NA-123 Lahore and Syed Khurram Shah had challenged the candidature of Nawaz Sharif.

Syed Khurram Shah, a rival candidate of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and Shahid Orakzai had also filed petitions in Lahore High Court seeking disqualification of Chief Minister Punjab.

The same bench had allowed Shahbaz Sharif to hold the office of CM Punjab provisionally till the final decision of the petitions by the Election Tribunal.