The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday again sought reply until September 8 from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including Zulfiqar Khosa, Pervaiz Rashid, Pervaiz Malik and Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, allegedly involved in exerting unlawful pressure on former member of the provincial assembly (MPA) Shumaila Rana to obtain her resignation after a bogus credit card theft case was registered against her.
During the hearing, Justice Umar Ata Bandial expressed displeasure on non-submission of reply despite earlier orders and observed that ex-parte proceedings would be initiated against them if the PML-N leaders did not respond until the next date of hearing. Punjab Additional Law Secretary Naseem Sadiq was also directed by the court to submit reply on the matter until September 8. Shumaila alleged that PML-N leaders and the Punjab government forced her to resign to save the party’s face from the media.
On March 1, 2010, a trial court acquitted the former PML-N MPA but she had resigned from the assembly before that. The Punjab CM’s Secretary Muhammad Ajmal and Punjab Assembly (PA) Speaker Rana Iqbal were also parties in the case. Shumaila requested the court to direct the PA speaker to restore her seat in the assembly.