Pakistan

Imran Khan asks SC to intervene in governor Punjab’s de-notification issue

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Imran Khan terms government “imported puppets”.
He says government has violated Constitution.
Marriyum Aurangzeb slams Khan for demands.

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan Tuesday called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to intervene and take suo motu notice of Omar Sarfaraz Cheema’s removal from the governor of Punjab’s office.

The Cabinet Division, in the wee hours of Monday, denotified Cheema after President Arif Alvi rejected PM Shehbaz’s advice to remove him from the office of the governor.

In his statement today, the former prime minister, referring to the government as “imported puppets”, said it was “attempting to create an atmosphere which would lead to constitutional chaos.”

Terming Hamza Shahbaz’s chief minister election a “fraud”, the PTI chairman said the incumbent government has “overlooked” all constitutional requirements, violated them, and humiliated the president’s office.

Despite constitutional safeguards, an attempt was made to remove the Punjab governor through “shameful means”, Khan said, adding that “all were silent” when the Constitution was being openly violated in Punjab.

“It is imperative that the Supreme Court, in view of the delicacy of the situation, should look into the matter on its own,” the ex-prime minister added.

The call for Supreme Court’s intervention come as the president had “strongly rejected” the prime minister’s advice to remove Cheema, but the Cabinet Division still de-notified him as governor.

“In terms of Article 101 and proviso to Article 48 (1) of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with serial No. 2D of schedule V-B to the Rules of Business, 1973 and the Prime Minister’s advice (s) rendered on 17-04-2022 and 01-05-2022 for removal of Governor of Punjab, Mr Omer Sarfaraz Cheema ceases to hold the office of the Governor Punjab, with immediate effect,” the notification read.

Cheema had been causing problems for the PML-N in Punjab ever since he was given the post by Khan during his last days in power. The governor had triggered a constitutional crisis after he refused to administer the oath to CM Punjab Hamza.

Hamza was finally sworn in after the Lahore High Court ordered NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to administer the oath.

Cheema had last week said that he would arrest CM Punjab Hamza Shehbaz Sharif if provided “a subedar and four soldiers” and had also asked Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to play his “role” in the implementation of the Constitutional framework in Punjab.

The federal government has nominated Baligh-ur-Rehman as the new governor of Punjab.

Cheema refuses to accept orders

In response, Cheema refused to accept the orders regarding his removal issued by the Cabinet Division.

He said President Alvi had rejected the summary for his removal sent by the premier due to “exceptional circumstances” but the Cabinet Division still issued the notification for his removal.

صدر مملکت نے گورنر پنجاب کو ہٹانے کی وزیرِ اعظم کی ایڈوائس مسترد کردی، موجودہ گورنر پر کوئی الزام نہیں نہ کوئی سزا ہوئی، ہٹایا نہیں جا سکتا صدر
آئین کے مطابق گورنر صدر کی رضامندی تک عہدے پر قائم رہے گا صدر

گورنر کو ہٹانے کا اختیار وزیرِ اعظم کا نہیں
گورنر پنجاب عمر سرفراز چیمہ
— Omar Sarfaraz Cheema (@OmerCheemaPTI) May 9, 2022

Terming the notification “unconstitutional”, he said that he would consult legal experts and announce his strategy.

Meanwhile, police sources told Geo News that Cheema was denied entrance to the Governor House.

‘No moral ground to seek SC intervention’

Responding to Khan’s demand, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PTI chairman, who himself had “sheer disregard for courts”, had no moral ground to appeal to the Supreme Court for taking notice of Cheema’s removal.

Khan seemed to have “no iota of shame” as despite being a “violator of the Constitution himself”, was talking about the supremacy of the Constitution, she said in a statement.

Aurangzeb said the “fascist era” of the Imran-led government would continue to be condemned for bullying the Constitution. It, she added, had exposed the “political hypocrisy” of the PTI chairman.

The constitutional posts of the governor, speaker and deputy speaker were disrespected at Khan’s whims, the minister said.

Marriyum said the “drama of constitutional violations” staged by the PTI leadership in the National Assembly before the vote of the no-trust motion was repeated in the Punjab Assembly as well.

The unconstitutional and fascist approach of the PTI leadership had led to the opening of court doors at midnight opening, she added.

Latest News

PM Shehbaz will meet with Saudi ministers and speak at the WEF special session today.

Published

19 hours ago

Farwa

On the third day of his visit to the Kingdom, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will speak at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting’s final plenary, which is titled “Rejuvenating Growth.”

Other speakers at the concluding plenary, in addition to the prime minister, are Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim, British Secretary of State David Cameron, WEF Geneva President Brørge Brende, and WEF Head of Middle East and North Africa Maroun Kairouz.

Meetings with Saudi ministers of trade, energy, the environment, and agriculture are also scheduled for the third day of the prime minister’s visit. He will probably also meet with his counterpart from Malaysia.

Mohammed bin Salman, the prime minister and crown prince of Saudi Arabia, will be present at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development, which gets underway here today.

Latest News

The nomination of Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister raises concerns.

Published

19 hours ago

Farwa

A lot of doubts have been raised by Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister, being appointed deputy prime minister.

No reference to the Constitution, regulations, or any other law was mentioned in the Cabinet Division’s notification of the appointment.

What powers Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used to designate Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister has come under scrutiny in light of this.

There are questions about the legal foundation for the deputy prime minister’s nomination as it appears from the notification’s phrasing that rules for the position have not yet been established, according to insiders.

Likewise, the announcement is vague about the deputy prime minister’s proposed authority.

Deputy prime minister would be purely symbolic, according to government sources, and would not be authorized to carry out prime ministerial duties. In Pakistan, the deputy prime minister has previously been nominated.

The PPP administration appointed Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as deputy prime minister.

Observe that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was appointed deputy prime minister on Sunday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s consent; the Cabinet Division formally announced the appointment.

Dar holds the position of Pakistan’s fourth deputy prime minister. Previous appointments to the position of deputy prime ministers included Parvez Elahi, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Begum Nusrat Bhutto.

Latest News

Audio leaks case: FIA, PTA, and PEMRA pleas seeking Justice Sattar’s recusal dismissed

Published

19 hours ago

Farwa

The Islamabad High Court fined each of the three government departments Rs. 500,000 on Monday after dismissing their arguments against a bench trial over audio leaks.

The court may also hold the heads of the aforementioned departments—the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)—culpable for contempt.

In the audio leak case, four government agencies—the PEMRA, PTA, FIA, and Intelligence Bureau—filed separate petitions with the IHC, pleading for Justice Babar Sattar’s recusal and asking for the case to be heard by the same bench that has previously decided a case of a similar nature.

The petitioners contended that in order to prevent a different ruling, Justice Babar Sattar should recuse himself from the case that was decided in 2021. The petitions of Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, and Najamul Saqib, the son of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, should also be brought before the same bench.

During the current hearing, Justice Sattar also issued a summons to IB Joint Director General Tariq Mehmood, directing him to come before the court for the case’s subsequent hearing.

Following the issue’s discovery in 2023, the judge has been considering the aforementioned petitions.

The government agencies contended in the petitions in the case before Justice Sattar that Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had already resolved an analogous issue in 2021. Thus, in order to prevent a conflicting ruling and for the sake of justice, they asked the judge to recuse herself from the case.

The departments are requesting that Justice Sattar recuse himself after six IHC judges—among them, himself—complained in writing to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) about intelligence agencies interfering with the court’s decision.

On March 25, the judges called for the calling of a judicial convention to address the issue of purported meddling by intelligence agents in the judicial activities or “intimidation” of judges in a way that jeopardised the judiciary’s independence.