While hearing the prime minister’s disqualification case, Supreme Court’s Justice Dost Muhammad Khan Thursday observed that there is no definition of ‘Sadiq’ (honest) and ‘Ameen’ (righteous) in Article 260 Constitution.
The three-judge bench, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, resumed the hearing of an appeal filed by Gohar Nawaz Sindhu of the Insaf Lawyers Forum against a verdict of the Lahore High Court (LHC) which had dismissed his petition for the disqualification of the prime minister last month.
During the hearing of the case, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja remarked, “No one is indispensable in the world. Graves are filled with those who considered them indispensable in the world. No one should think that this country will not run due to his existence or non existence. What we have to do, we will have to do under the law and constitution.”
The petitioner claimed that the premier had first asked Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif to act as a ‘mediator’ between the government and protesting parties –Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) – and to serve as a ‘guarantor’ to any agreement between the parties concerned.
The petitioner alleged that the premier had later lied in front of Parliament and had denied making any such request to the army chief.
The bench directed the petitioner, Sindhu, to submit his formulations regarding the case. Similarly, it also summoned the attorney general for assistance regarding the maintainability of this petition.
The bench also decided to delink two petitions, filed directly by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and PTI leader Ishaq Khakwanai, to disqualify the premier.
The petitioner also stated that parliamentarians had made a law of contempt of court, but no legislation has been made to stop defamation of the army. However, Justice Khawaja said that the court does not make the law, only interprets it.
The hearing of the case is adjourned until next week.