KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for defying court orders in a matter about concession extended to his elder brother to travel abroad on bail.

The petitioner also pleaded to cancel the bail of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and sought a directive for the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to take action against propagation of hate messages against judiciary.

A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed dismissed the petition in limine.

Samira Mohammadi, a regular litigant, petitioned the SHC on April 8 citing the ministry of law & justice, Pemra and others as respondents.

Petition is misconceived, SHC rules

The bench in its order stated that the petitioner had invoked the jurisdiction of the SHC under Article 199 of the Constitution seeking directives for Pemra to take action against printing and propagation of so-called hate messages against the judiciary and incitement to disobedience of court orders as well as to cancel the bail granted to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif along with the declaration against the present prime minister that he was not Sadiq and Ameen due to having failed to uphold the guarantee given to bring back his elder brother to Pakistan as a condition of the concession granted to travel abroad whilst on bail.

“As it transpires, the proceedings through which bail and such concession of travel were granted ensued before the Lahore High Court (LHC),” the order said.

“Furthermore, the petition is bereft of any particulars of the so-called campaign against the judiciary and any attempt on the part of petitioner to approach Pemra in that regard. Under such circumstances, the petition is found to be misconceived and hence while granting the application for urgency we hereby dismiss the petition in limine along with the other pending miscellaneous applications,” the bench ruled.

Earlier in November 2019, a division bench of the Lahore High Court had allowed PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment initially for an extendable period of four weeks. The LHC had granted him permission mainly in the light of undertakings submitted on behalf of Nawaz and his younger brother and incumbent PM Shehbaz Sharif.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2023