June 18, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1429

LAHORE, June 17: A three-judge bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif for Wednesday (today) in petitions seeking his disqualification to contest election from PP-10, Rawalpindi, and all other constituencies.

The bench, comprising Justice Fazl-i-Miran Chauhan, Justice Hasnat Ahmad Khan and Justice Ahsan Bhoon, also issued Shahbaz and the returning officer of the PP-10 another notice for June 23 in another petition.

In the first petition, complainant Shahid Orakzai, a freelance journalist pleading his case himself, requests the court to hold Shahbaz ineligible because of his role in the Supreme Court storming case.

In the second petition, he said the returning officer of PP-10 was treating Shahbaz as a candidate even after he became the Punjab chief minister. Shahbaz became the chief minister after winning a seat of the Punjab Assembly from Bhakkar.

The petitioner says the returning officer should declare the results from PP-10 without considering Shahbaz a candidate, adding that under Article 224 (7) neither a chief minister nor the prime minister could run for any election.

Originally, there were 30 candidates for PP-10; 28 withdrew, leaving Shahbaz and Orakzai to slug the election out between them. Mr Orakzai requests the court to ascertain whether or not the aspirants for PP-10 withdrew their candidature willingly or under pressure.

During the course of the proceedings, when the petitioner said law treated everybody equally, Justice Chauhan — senior judge in the bench — observed: “Shahbaz Sharif and Shahid Orakzai are equal in the eyes of law.”

The petitioner asks the court to ignore Shahbaz Sharif as the candidate and declare him a returned candidate from the constituency.