LAHORE: The Lahore High Court will hear on Friday (today) a petition of former interior minister Sheikh Rashid challenging the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker chief minister of Punjab.

Rashid, also the chairman of Awami Muslim League (AML), filed a writ petition through Advocate Azhar Siddique alleging that the respondent (Naqvi) is the owner of a media house that is prima facie involved in ‘regime change’ against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and has been actively working for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

He further alleges that Naqvi was involved in a case of corruption and corrupt practices made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) where he opted for a voluntary return of the ill-gotten money. Therefore, he argues, the respondent is a convict.

The petitioner pleads that section 15 of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 envisages that an accused person convicted of an offence under section 9 shall forthwith cease to hold public office and shall stand disqualified.

He submits that under article 218 of the Constitution, it is the duty of the ECP to conduct and make necessary arrangements to ensure fair and free elections. He says the appointment of caretaker setup is the first step towards free and fair elections and if such a step is polluted with the appointment of a biased, partisan and disqualified person, the election process would stand polluted at the very beginning.

The former minister asked the court to set aside the appointment of caretaker chief minister Naqvi being illegal and unconstitutional. He also urged the court to declare that the ECP and its members violated the constitutional and statutory requirements while appointing the caretaker chief minister of Punjab.

The hearing of the petition has been fixed before Justice Shahid Karim.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2023