Pak court dismisses Imran Khan's party's plea seeking disqualification of PM Shehbaz, Cabinet

Lahore, Aug 18: A Pakistani court on Thursday dismissed a petition of Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Cabinet for ''misuse of power''.

The petition was filed by PTI's senior leader Andleeb Abbas and ousted premier Imran Khan's nephew Advocate Hassaan Niazi in the Lahore High Court. The petitioners alleged that Prime Minister Shehbaz ''misused'' his powers and violated the Constitution by allowing his son Suleman Shehbaz and nephew Hussain Nawaz -- both proclaimed offenders to meet the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS) during an official visit'.

"Besides, Shehbaz took his Cabinet members to London to meet proclaimed offenders -- former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and former finance minister Ishaq Dar -- which is against the law of the land,'' the petitioners argued through their counsel in the LHC.

They said that prime minister and his Cabinet members violated the Official Secret Act 1923, therefore, it is requested to the court to disqualify them and direct the police to initiate criminal proceedings against Shehbaz and his Cabinet members. During the hearing, Justice Shahid Waheed asked the counsel of the petitioners under what law the respondents could be disqualified.

At this the counsel could not come up with an answer rather sought time to prepare his arguments. However, Justice Shahid Waheed dismissed the petition.