LHC's Justice Shahid Wahid recuses himself from cases pertaining to PM Khan's disqualification

Published March 11, 2019
Two petitions have been filed urging Prime Minister Imran Khan's disqualification. — PM Khan's Instagram/File
Two petitions have been filed urging Prime Minister Imran Khan's disqualification. — PM Khan's Instagram/File

The hearing of two petitions pertaining to the disqualification of Prime Minister Imran Khan filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) was adjourned indefinitely on Monday after Justice Shahid Waheed recused himself from the cases citing personal reasons after briefly hearing the arguments.

A request was sent to the high court's chief justice to nominate another judge for the bench.

A two-member LHC bench comprising Justice Waheed and Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh, who headed the bench, had briefly heard petitions filed by Abdul Wahab and Mudassir.

Both petitioners accuse Prime Minister Imran Khan of concealing his alleged parentage of Tyrian Jade Khan White in his nomination papers filed for 2018 general elections.

"Imran Khan did not mention White as one of his dependents in his nomination papers, and thus he does not measure up to Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution," the petition read. Articles 62 and 63, set the precondition for a member of parliament to be "sadiq and ameen" (honest and righteous).

Tyrian While is the daughter of Ana-Luisa (Sita) White, the daughter of the late Lord Gordon White. It has often been alleged that Tyrian is Imran Khan's daughter.

During the hearing, the state prosecutor argued that both the petitioners did not belong to the constituency from where the premier had contested the election. He said that only a voter of the constituency could challenge the eligibility of Prime Minister Khan.

The court, however, questioned the state lawyer's argument and observed that a petition could be filed at any stage.

Earlier this year, on January 21, the Islamabad High Court had thrown out a similar petition terming it non-maintainable as it involved personal matters.

The petitioner in that case had similarly sought to argue that Prime Minister Khan should be disqualified for 'concealing' his alleged parentage of Tyrian White in his nomination papers for the 2018 election.

However, the judges refused to dwell on the arguments and admonished the petitioner for not understanding the law or respecting Islamic teachings about respecting others' privacy before throwing out the case.

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