ISLAMABAD: A constitutional petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday challenging a written deal between the federal government and Tehrik-i-Minhajul Quran (TMQ) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Qadri had led thousands of people to Islamabad last week in a four-day sit-in protest near the Parliament building demanding electoral reforms. The Pakistani-Canadian cleric called off the demonstration after signing an agreement with the government to implement some of his demands.

The petition, filed by Shahid Orakzai, challenges the agreement, arguing that the pact was against Pakistan’s sovereignty as it was signed with a foreign national.

The petitioner argues that the federation had exceeded its administrative jurisdiction through the agreement. He contends that the federation had no authority to make any such deal without the consent of the President.

Moreover, the petition states that the time for scrutiny of candidates under Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution was raised at the demand of one party, which is tantamount to discrimination of other parties.