PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi on Thursday resigned special assistant prime minister (SAPM) after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) “temporarily” barred him from his duties.
In a letter dated June 1, copy of which the available with Dawn.comaddressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Abbasi said he “couldn’t perform now” and asked the Prime Minister to accept his resignation, thanking him for possibility.
On Thursday, the Cabinet released a notice that the prime minister had accepted the resignation under Schedule VA. of regulations of Business, 1973, and removed Abbasi from post with instant effect.
PML-N leader was notified as SAPM, with status of federal minister, on April 27th. However, he was not assigned the briefcase.
development today came after IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah banned Abbasi from working as SAPM last month. The instructions were issued during the consideration of an application filed former interior minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) head Sheikh Rashid, who disputed the appointment of Abbasi SAPM on grounds of his conviction in 2018 in The ephedrine case.
During the hearing on On May 17, the court found that the person who was condemned could not keep public office.
Abbasi’s lawyer Ahsan Bhoon argued that office of SAPM was not like Another public offices. However, Judge Minalla ruled that SAPM’s job was to advise prime minister and he could do it without notice.
Previously, the court also instructed Prime Minister Shehbaz to reconsider the appointment of the leader of the PML-N.
Petition against Abbasi
Rashid launched a petition challenging Abbasi’s appointment. on May 6 through it counsel Barrister Sajeel Shaharryar in the Cabinet Office and Abbasi were designated as respondents.
The petition indicated out that the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on July 21, 2012 FIR registered against Abbasi under sections 9-C, 14 and 15 of control of Drugs Act 1997 for sale of 500 kg of ephedrine to drug traffickers instead of using controlled chemical in medicine.
According to the indictment, two officials of Arafaat Traders, a Karachi-based distribution company to which Abbasi claimed to have supplied 11,000 ephedrine.containing The pills disproved Abbasi’s claim, Challan said, although the same company had previously confirmed to the ANF that Abbasi provided them with ephedrine-containing tablets.
CNS Court on July 21, 2018 found Abbasi is guilty of sell 500kg of ephedrine drug smugglers and a fine of They imposed 1 million rubles. on PML-N leader together with life imprisonment.
Seven more defendants were acquitted in a business.
The sentence, however, was conditional. in April 2019.
rashid, in petition, indicated out that the Lahore High Court, in accordance with the ruling dated April 11, 2019, “only postponed the execution of the sentence of Defendant #2 [Abbasi] not condemnation”, adding that “the conviction remained intact for all intents and purposes.
Explaining the Difference Between Conviction and Suspension of sentence, the motion stated that “in criminal jurisprudence is indeed noticeable difference between condemnation and sentence. Condemnation is the recognition of someone as guilty positively. of crime(s) imputable with whereas a sentence is a punishment (imprisonment, fine, or both) for be guilty of it is a crime”.
Subsequently, Abbasi “forfeits the right to occupy public office”, the petition says.
There it was said that “in middle of April 2022 due to change in mode, and new government was formed and Defendant No. 2 was appointed as special assistant prime minister.”
The petition called the said appointment illegal, illegitimate and unconstitutional as Abbasi was inherently disqualified from holding the prestigious post. public office.
The lawsuit asks the court set other than notice for appointment of Abbasi as SAPM.
