Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Tuesday stopped PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi from working as a special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) until the next hearing on May 27.
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When the hearing started on Tuesday, Justice Minallah observed that a person who has been convicted could not hold public office and he issued the directives in this connection.
The Islamabad High Court was hearing a plea filed by former interior minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid, who has challenged Abbasi’s appointment as SAPM on grounds of his 2018 conviction in an ephedrine case.
Abbasi was notified as a SAPM, with the status of federal minister, on April 27. However, he has not been assigned a portfolio yet.
However, Abbasi’s counsel Ahsan Bhoon argued that the office of the SAPM was not similar to other public offices.
When the chief justice said the court would stop Abbasi from working as SAPM till the next date of hearing, Bhoon argued that it would be tantamount to “concrete relief” for the petitioner (Rashid).
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However, Justice Minallah said he hoped Abbasi would not use the public office till the next hearing.
Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned till May 27.
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