IHC rejects petition against Shehbaz’s election as PAC chairman

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: A two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dismissed a petition challenging election of Shehbaz Sharif as chairman Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani dismissed the petition as non-maintainable. The court had earlier reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the petitioner’s lawyer.

The petitioner, Advocate Riaz Hanif Rahi, had contended before the court that Sharif, who is also opposition leader in the National Assembly, was not eligible to serve as PAC chairman. He said issuance of his production orders [by NA speaker] was against the rules of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The lawyer of the petitioner argued that appointing Shehbaz as chairman of PAC was like “ridiculing the constitution”, thus IHC should dismiss the Opposition Leader of the National Assembly from the top post of PAC.

“Appointing corruption suspect Shehbaz as PAC chairman would influence the inquiry,” he asserted, while mentioning that issuing production order for the president of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz to attend the National Assembly session, was also against the law of NAB.

The PML-N leader is currently under the custody of NAB in connection to corruption cases.

Shehbaz Sharif was elected chairman of the PAC in a meeting of the committee at Parliament House in Islamabad on December 21. The PAC in a move had unanimously elected Shehbaz as its chairman.