LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a petition challenging President Asif Ali Zardari’s co-chairmanship of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). LHC Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry is heading the five-member bench hearing the petition. Petitioner AK Dogar presented his final arguments saying that Zardari could not hold a political office while being the president. “Implementing the constitution in letter and spirit can bring a political and economic revolution in the country but unfortunately the president and the federal government has put the constitution on the backburner by not caring for the supreme law of the land”.
Dogar said that the constitution was the only guarantee of sustained growth, stability and solidarity in the country but it was never implemented in the country’s history and now the PPP government was running the state affairs in its own way. Dogar argued that Zardari was not eligible to hold two offices simultaneously, as the constitution and law did not permit him to hold a political office along with the Presidency. He said that Zardari was notorious for being corrupt and was labeled “Mr 10 percent” internationally.
The petitioner said, “Articles 62 1-D and E of the constitution have mandated that a person shall not be qualified to be elected as a member pf parliament unless he is of a good character and is an honest person”. He said that the president be directed to tell that under which law he was occupying the Presidency.
Abid Hassan Manto, appearing as amicus curiae to assist the court in the ex-parte proceedings, sought time to prepare arguments on which the court adjourned the case’s hearing until January 10.
