Zardari can hold two offices simultaneously: Pak Punjab Governor

Lahore, June 22(ANI): Pakistan Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer has said that Pakistan President and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Asif Ali Zardari can hold two offices simultaneously.

"If politicians cannot hold the office of the president then are bureaucrats supposed to do the job?" The Daily Times quoted Taseer, as saying.

Taseer's comment come after the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued a notice to Zardari over the legality of holding two offices of interest.

Hearing a petition filed by the Pakistan Lawyers Forum (PLF) challenging the right of Zardari to hold on to the PPP chief's post, the high court had also directed Zardari's Principal Secretary to explain the legality of the President's dual posts.

PLF president A.K. Dogar said that though there was no constitutional bar on the President holding office in a political party, the Supreme Court had barred a president from holding a party post.

"Our Supreme Court judges decided in 1993 that the president should be non-partisan. He should not involve himself in political battles. He should shun politics but here he is a party head, which is illegal," he said.

Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had come out openly in favour of Zardari over the issue, saying there was no legal bar on holding two offices at a time. (ANI)