3-member SC bench to hear petitions on Panama leaks

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali on Tuesday dismissed objections raised by the Registrar office on petitions seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ordered for the constitution of a bench to initiate further proceedings of the petitions.

The Chief Justice after hearing arguments in his chamber, declared the Registrar office's objections 'null and void' and admitted petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamhoori Watan Party and others.

The CJP also ordered for the constitution of a three-member bench to examine maintainability of the petitions and initiate further proceedings. The CJP remarked that the petitions would be heard in open court.

Counsel of PTI Hamid Khan Advocate while talking to media outside Supreme Court after in-chamber hearing of petitions said that the apex court had rejected the earlier objections and admitted all the petitions for hearing in open court. He said that further proceedings would be made soon in this regard.

He said that objections of the Registrar office were against various provisions of the Constitution including Article 9, 14, 17 and 25.

–APP