The Supreme Court was urged on Saturday to disqualify Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on grounds that he allegedly awarded liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract back in 2015 being federal minister for petroleum and natural resources without observing transparency in bidding.
President Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rasheed filed a petition under Article 184 (3) making Prime Minster Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, secretaries of the Ministries of Petroleum & Natural Resources, Law & Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, SNGPL through MD, Interstate Gas Company Pakistan through its managing director, OGRA through its chairperson, SSGC through its secretary, Pakistan State Oil through its managing director and M/s ELENGY Terminal Pakistan Limited through its director respondents.
Filing a plea through Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa, the AML chief requested the court that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi may be declared to be disqualified to be a member of the National Assembly in terms of Articles 62 & 63 of the Constitution.
Sheikh Rashid alleged that the government has ignored directions of the apex court in the LNG contract which caused a dent of billions of dollars on the national exchequer. He also requested the apex court to recover alleged looted/plundered money from the respondents by virtue of the impugned contracts, deal or bid.
The petitioner sought the court''s directives to the chairman NAB to furnish complete investigation report over LNG import contracts before the apex court, alleging that contracts having been awarded and executed by way of concealment of facts, misrepresentation, abuse of authority, in negation of the PPRA Ordinance and LNG Rules.
Seeking declaration of the contracts as illegal, unlawful, ultra vires and ineffective in the eyes of law, the petitioner also requested the court to pass an order against all illegalities and irregularities in the contract amid omission and commission of all the officers and functionaries involved in the contract.