The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday barred PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi from working as special assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Shehbaz Sharif until the next hearing date.
IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah issued the ruling, expressing hope that Abbasi would not discharge his functions as SAPM until the next hearing date. “If someone is a convicted felon, he or she cannot hold public office,” he said.
In response, Ahsan Bhoon Advocate, who represented the PML-N leader in the case, stated that he would try to persuade the court that the office of SAPM was different from other public offices.
CJ Minallah, on the other hand, argued that the office of SAPM is no different from any other public office.
Advocate Bhoon pleaded with him not to issue such an order, which later became the verdict. “The special assistant’s job is to give advice, which he can give even without notification,” the IHC CJ stated.
The case was then adjourned until May 27, 2022, by the court.
On May 14, the federal government filed its initial response to a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the appointment of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi as special assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Shehbaz Sharif.
The court was informed in the response sent by the Establishment Division that its order to PM Shehbaz to review his decision to appoint Abbasi as his SAPM had been communicated to him.
The court was told that a detailed response would be submitted once the prime minister gave his approval.
On May 9, 2022, the IHC, while rejecting the petition seeking a court order barring Abbasi from working as a special aide to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, asked the latter to reconsider his decision.
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad filed the petition, asking the court to prevent the PML-N leader from working as a special assistant to Prime Minister Shehbaz.
