SC dismisses Jahangir Khan’s review petition in disqualification case

The Supreme Court (SC) dismissed on Thursday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Jahangir Tareen's petition challenging his disqualification by the top court.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, took up the case today. During the hearing, the bench dismissed Tareen's review petition and maintained that Tareen will not be allowed to hold public office.

Following the disqualification verdict, Tareen filed a review petition, submitting a four-page affidavit. "My understanding and knowledge of the trust arrangement, its legal aspect and components and its legal effect was that of a layperson gathered from my interaction with my professional advisers and the trustees" Tareen pleaded in the review petition.

The SC disqualified Tareen on December 15 for not disclosing his off-shore company. He was disqualified under Article 62 of the Constitution, the same constitution under which deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi in 2016 had filed a petition against Tareen and Prime Minister Imran Khan. In the petition, the two leaders were accused of running a foreign-aided party, owning offshore companies, for not disclosing their assets to the Election Commission of Pakistan and for violations of the lncome Tax Ordinance, 1979, and Peoples Act, 1974.