Plea to sack PM over graft dismissed ISLAMABAD
COURT DIRECTS PETITIONER TO APPROACH NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY BUREAU
The Supreme Court of Pakistan yesterday dismissed a petition filed by an opposition leader Shaikh Rasheed, seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi over alleged corruption in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract with Qatar.
The lone elected leader of Awami Muslim League, Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad, had asked the Court to disqualify PM Abbasi under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution and order the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to initiate action on allegations against Abbasi.
After hearing the plea, presented by Rasheed’s counsel, senior lawyer Latif Khosa, the top Court’s three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, ruled that the petition did not fall in the jurisdiction of Article 184(3) of the Constitution which empowers the court to enforce citizens’ fundamental rights.
Justice Nisar directed the petitioner to approach the National Accountability Bureau over his complaint. “We believe that NAB is an independent body,” he said. “Let NAB take care of it.” The CJP added that the top court shall not interfere in matters of political nature.
The ruling PML-N leaders have hailed the Supreme Court decision, saying that allegation had no concrete evidence.
The petitioner accused the premier and other respondents of corruption by allegedly hiding facts in the LNG contract awarded in 2015 when Abbasi served as the minister for petroleum and natural resources.
‘Illegal’
The plea alleged that Abbasi was involved in corruption of nearly Rs200 billion in LNG project and that he awarded the contract without observing transparency in bidding process. It claimed that importing LNG without an agreement was illegal.
The petition argued for prosecution in accordance with the law since the agreement to supply LNG to Pakistan by Qatar Gas had been signed on a long term 15-year basis without adhering to the minimum standards of transparency and regular international terms and conditions.