Pak court admits plea accusing Sharif of treason

Pakistan’s Lahore high court on Wednesday admitted for hearing a petition seeking a treason case against Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) chief Nawaz Sharif.

The petition was filed by a citizen wherein it was contended that the deposed PM, following his disqualification by the top court in July, had staged a rally from Islamabad to Lahore.

During that rally, it was maintained, the former PM had criticised the judiciary and passed inappropriate remarks against judges.

The petitioner added that Mr Sharif had also levelled allegations against the members of the Joint Investigation Team formed by the Supreme Court to probe into his offshore assets, thereby targeting state institutions — a move tantamount to committing treason.

The court, admitting the petition for hearing, directed the defence police to submit a report on the matter by October 9.

On July 28, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif from the PM’s office for failing to declare a salary, which he had not withdrawn as an executive of Dubai-based company, as an asset when filing his nomination papers in 2013.

In August, Nawaz Sharif kicked off a defiant procession from Islamabad to Lahore during which he said the huge turnout at the rally proved that the people of Pakistan had rejected his disqualification.