ISLAMABAD, March 25: The federal government moved an application in the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking suspension of its February 25 order disqualifying the Sharif brothers, till its decision on review petitions.

All the petitions had been filed, by the federal government as well as by the proposer and seconder of the Sharif brothers in by-elections, Mehr Zafar Iqbal and Shakeel Baig and the Punjab assembly speaker, Advocate-on-Record Arshed Ali Chaudhry told Dawn.

The application seeking interim injunction was filed under Order 33 Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1980, read with Article 187 of the Constitution (issue and execution of process of the apex court).

“It is respectfully prayed that pending final disposal of the titled petition (review petition against disqualification), the order/judgment under review may kindly be suspended,” the application said.

The federation/petitioner is sanguine of the acceptance of the review petition, the application said, adding that the petition was based on sound legal propositions.

That Syed Khurram Shah’s petition having been converted into an appeal and the same having consequently been allowed, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has been de-seated as member of the provincial assembly and resultantly coalition government in the Punjab headed by Shahbaz Sharif stood dissolved on February 25, the application said.

The consequential effect being that his constituency would be rescheduled for election which will render government’s review petition infructuous. Thus the balance of convenience lay in favour of the suspension of the judgment under review, it emphasised.

A constitutional expert said that since the only ground for imposition of the governor’s rule was disqualification of the chief minister, the suspension of such an order would mean he would be restored immediately to his office.

He said all the actions taken in consequence of the February 25 judgment would also be deemed to be nullified and the proclamation of the governor’s rule over Punjab would be automatically lifted or could be challenged before any court of law.

SRINAGAR, March 25: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) threatened on Wednesday to carry out more attacks in occupied Kashmir after a five-day gunbattle between Indian troops and suspected militants killed at least 25 combatants.

The fighting --- which started on Friday morning when a combined force of Indian army and police began flushing out militants in the area --- was the longest and bloodiest in the disputed region this year, the army said.

Abdullah Ghaznavi, a spokesman for the LeT, said the militants initiated the clash by ambushing an army contingent. The Indian army said on Tuesday night that the gunbattle left 17 militants and eight soldiers dead. Ghaznavi claimed 25 troops were killed and 50 wounded.

There was no independent account of the fighting, which raged in the forested Shamsbari area about 120km north of occupied Srinagar.

“Lashkar-e-Taiba will continue to render sacrifices to free Kashmir from Indian occupation. The coming days will prove costlier for Indian forces,” Ghaznavi told local newspapers in Srinagar.

“The Indian army has suffered immense loses during the five-day-long gunbattle. This should serve as reminder to India that Kashmir’s freedom struggle is well under way,” he said.—AP
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