SC disposes of govt's appeal against Shehbaz Sharif

  • SC stated that the way the opposition leader was given relief cannot be cited as an example in any case
  • Shehbaz’s lawyer told the top court that they will not pursue the contempt petition filed in the high court against the federal government and the FIA
Updated 02 Jun, 2021

(Karachi) The Supreme Court of Pakistan has disposed of the federal government's appeal against the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict of allowing PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment, local media reported on Wednesday.

The top court announced the decision after the government withdrew its petition against Shehbaz Sharif.

During the hearing of the petition, the SC stated that the way the opposition leader was given relief cannot be cited as an example in any case.

The AG told the court that the LHC has transferred the judge that was conducting the trial of Shehbaz. "It takes three to four months for a new judge to be appointed," the attorney general said. “The government has objections to the way the judge was transferred,” the AG said.

He added that Shehbaz Sharif doesn’t want the case to be wrapped up swiftly.

Shehbaz’s lawyer told the top court that they will not pursue the contempt petition filed in the high court against the federal government and the Federal Investigation Agency.

The petition, filed on May 17, accused them of committing contempt of court by stopping Shehbaz from traveling abroad on May 8.

Earlier, the federal government requested the SC to fix its petition for an early hearing, seeking suspension of the May 7 order of the LHC, granting one-time permission to the leader of the opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif to go abroad.

The government, through the interior secretary, filed an application in the SC praying for fixing its petition for hearing at an early date. It submitted that its valuable rights are involved in the titled case, and if it is not fixed for early hearing, it may suffer an irreparable loss and injury to its rights.

The LHC had permitted Shehbaz to visit the United Kingdom for medical treatment. However, the immigration officials at the Lahore Airport stopped Shehbaz from boarding a reserved flight on the pretext that his name was included in the Provincial National Identification List (PNIL).

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