SC dismisses disqualification petition against PM Abbasi

ISLAMABAD- The top court of Pakistan, on Monday, dismissed the disqualification petition against Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, filed by Awami Muslim League chief Sheik Rasheed.

The parliamentarian had filed a petition in the apex court against the prime minister over alleged corruption while awarding the contract for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) when Abbasi was the federal petroleum minister. Rasheed had sought a NAB inquiry and disqualification of Shahid Khaqan in the case.

The petition was filed by senior lawyer Barrister Sardar Latif Khosa and it requested the apex court to order NAB to take action against Abbasi.In the filed petition, the court was also requested to task NAB to probe the LNG import contracts as they were commissioned in violation of rules.

According to the petition, Abbasi awarded the LNG import contract in 2015 without observing transparency in the bidding process.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took up the petition and observed that the case doesn't fall under Article 184 (3) of the constitution of Pakistan and thus doesn't come under the apex court. However, the case can be filed to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which is an independent institution.

The petition was dismissed by CJP.

Ever since Abbasi's election as prime minister, Rasheed had been claiming that the former petroleum minister is guilty of multi-billion rupee corruption in the LNG import.