LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a petition filed by a citizen seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for not ensuring return of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as promised by him in an affidavit to the court.

The court directed the petitioner’s counsel to furnish further documents to substantiate his arguments and adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed by the office.

Earlier a law officer questioned the maintainability of the petition and said the petitioner was not an aggrieved person in the matter.

He further said that the petitioner did not approach the court with clean hands and the court had fined him for filing frivolous petitions in the past.

He said former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was allowed to travel abroad by the federal government of the time.

The law officer argued that the petitioner could not approach the court directly and should approach an appropriate forum if he believed there was any offence.

He, therefore, asked the court to dismiss the petition for being not maintainable.

The court asked the petitioner’s counsel whether his client approached the federal government during the last three-and-half-year since Nawaz Sharif went abroad.

The counsel at this asked the court to decide the petition on its merits.

The petitioner had contended that PM Shehbaz had filed an affidavit before a division bench of the august that he would ensure return of his elder brother within four weeks as he was allowed to have medical treatment abroad.

He said PM Shehbaz had undertaken to bring his brother back soon after recovery of his health.

He contended that Nawaz Sharif had been travelling to Europe and Gulf during the last many years but not returning to Pakistan as undertaken by PM Shehbaz.

He, therefore, asked the court to disqualify PM Shehbaz Sharif under articles 62 and 63 of the constitution.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023