LHC to hear disqualification petition against PM Imran next week

Published May 20, 2019
The petition argues that Imran Khan is ineligible to be a member of Parliament. ─ AFP/File
The petition argues that Imran Khan is ineligible to be a member of Parliament. ─ AFP/File

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday set a disqualification petition against Prime Minister Imran Khan for hearing for next week.

The disqualification petition was filed by the Lawyers Foundation for Justice in November 2018. The federal government and the premier were made party to the petition. LHC judge Justice Shahid Waheed heard a civil miscellaneous petition today requesting early hearing of the disqualification petition against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The petition had contended that the matter was an important one and should be set for early hearing. It prayed that Imran Khan had, during the former government's term, instigated people to take part in civil disobedience during the 2014 sit-in. He had also instigated people not to pay their taxes or send money from abroad, the petition stated.

The petition stated that the now-prime minister had taken steps against the country's integrity and had tried to ruin Pakistan's political system.

The petition argued that Imran Khan is ineligible to be a member of Parliament as under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution, and requested that action be taken against him under Section 124A (sedition) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In December 2017, the Supreme Court had rejected PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi's petition for Imran's disqualification but disqualified PTI leader Jahangir Tareen for being "dishonest" in a misdeclaration of assets case.

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