Islamabad High Court Justice Aamer Farooq dismissed a petition seeking the status of field marshal for Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif.
The judge observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard.
The petitioner’s counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal.
In his order, Justice Farooq said: “No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law.”
The order declared that the petition was “without merit and dismissed”.
The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Raheel, whose three-year term is going to expire on Nov 27, launched the Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.
The petition asserted that there was a universal and divine law that whosoever rendered his services for the nation and humanity at a larger scale in an extraordinary, exemplary and selfless manner he should be elevated to the highest level of military hierarchy.