The Supreme Court on Saturday fixed December 8 for the hearing of the disqualification of the prime minister by a larger bench.
A seven-member bench headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk will preside over the hearing regarding the premier’s disqualification, initiated by advocate Gohar Nawaz Sindhu, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s central committee leader Ishaq Khan Khakwani.
The petitioners claim that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was dishonest on the floor of the house in the past, due to which he ceased to be ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’ (honest and righteous).
The Supreme Court constituted on Wednesday a seven-judge bench which would resume hearing a set of petitions seeking the disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his alleged Aug 29 misstatement of facts on the parliament floor.
The larger bench was constituted in line with a Nov 10 order of a three-judge bench, headed by Justice Jawwad Khawaja in Quetta, which had asked the court office to place the matter before the chief justice – who might constitute the larger bench if he deemed appropriate.
Justice Khawaja also suggested that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice President Hamid Khan, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani and senior counsel Khawaja Haris be engaged as amicus curiae (friends of the court) to assist the court, since important constitutional questions involving the continuity and the health of the country’s system of elections, governance and adherence to the will of the people have arisen.
