IHC accepts application for early hearing of petition challenging 15 SAPMs' appointments.

Byline: Shahid Rao

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday accepted an application for early hearing of a writ petition challenging the appointments of 15 special assistants to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

A division bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb conducted hearing of the application and directed the office to fix July 15 as next date for hearing of the petition. Petitioner Farrukh Nawaz Bhatti filed the petition through his counsel G M Chaudhary Advocate and cited Prime Minister and 15 special assistants including the names of Naeemul Haq, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Nadeem Afzal, Ali Nawaz Awan, Zulfi Bukhari, Shahzad Akbar, Dr Moeed Yusuf, Usman Dar and others as respondents.

In the petition, Bhatti sought declaration of sub-rule (6) of Rule 4 of the Rules of Business, 1973, as ultra vires to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and illegal and the appointments of the Respondent No. 3 to 18 in exercise of the said Rule as unconstitutional, illegal, a burden on debt-trapped national economy, having unconstitutional, ultra vires and illegal status as the federal ministers and ministers of the state, misuse of public office and discretion only to accommodate friends and cronies on public expense without having specialisation in the relevant fields to be known or said as Special Assistants to the Prime Minister (SAPM), a few having dual nationalities and being as such not entitled to hold offices or status as the federal minister or the minister of the state.

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'All such appointments are liable to be set aside ab initio from their dates of appointment with a further direction to declare the actions, decisions or exercise of any power under any law as well as receipt of any financial benefit including their salaries, allowances, perks, privileges, etc., as illegal, void ab initio, coram non judice and illegal gain and direct for recovery of such salaries, allowances, perks, privileges, etc., from the Respondent No. 3 to 18,' added the petition.

It further said that their competence and expertise in their respective areas allocated to them is questionable as there is no any noteworthy and substantial contribution of them towards the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and its governance system except they had enjoyed the friendly relations or managed their appointments by...