Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

A day ago, Imran Khan instituted a constitutional petition in the SC under Article 184 (3), requesting it to issue directions for disqualification of Premier Nawaz, his son-in-law Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar from the seats of National Assembly over their alleged corruption and tax evasion by establishing offshore companies.

However, the order issued from the SC Registrar Office on Tuesday termed the petition non-maintainable on the grounds that the party did not approach the appropriate forum. “The petitioner (Khan) has not approached any high court for redress of his grievance in the instant matter. The petitioner has not approached any other appropriate forum available to him under the law for the same relief. He has also not provided any justification for not doing so,” stated the order.

The order said that the petition does not fulfil the requirements of the certificate as required under Rule 6 of Order XXV of the SC Rules 1980.

“An application for the enforcement of any other fundamental right shall be filed in the Registry. It shall set out the name and description of the applicant, the relief sought, and the grounds on which it is sought, and shall be accompanied by an affidavit verifying the facts relied on, and at least eight copies of the said application and affidavit shall be lodged in the Registry. It shall also state whether the applicant has moved the High Court concerned for the same relief and, if so, with what result. The application shall be made by notice of motion, but the Registrar may in appropriate cases put up the application before the Court for orders as to the issue of notice,” states Rule 6 of Order XXV.

It said that the petition prima facie appears to be frivolous within the contemplation of Rule 5 of Order XXV of the SC Rules 1980.

Along with the three above-mentioned names, PTI’s chief had also made seven other people respondents in the petition including the premier’s daughter Maryam Safdar, sons Hussain and Hassan Nawaz, federal government, NAB, interior secretary and FBR.