‘Plea against Prez Zardari to be decided after hearing all involved’

A Pak court is looking into a petition challenging Asif Ali Zardari's holding of dual posts of President and PPP chief.

A Pakistani court,which is looking into a petition challenging Asif Ali Zardari’s holding of dual posts of President and PPP chief,has said it will decide the case only after hearing lawyers of all the stakeholders.

A four-judge bench of the Lahore High Court headed by Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry observed yesterday that it would not be possible for the court to give its verdict without listening to all the stakeholders.

It subsequently adjourned the proceedings till January 19.

The court’s observation came after the leading counsel for the petitioners,A K Dogar,said the court had not decided the case even after the lapse of over a year.

Lawyer Abid Hasan Minto,the amicus curae or friend of the court in the matter,maintained that when a political figure becomes President,he or she should be non-partisan to meet Constitutional requirements.

The petitioners,including the Pakistan Lawyers Forum,Ghulam Jillani and lawyer Asif Mehmood Khan,said Zardari should not have been allowed to contest the polls as he had filed his nomination papers for the non-political office of the President while holding the political office of co-Chairperson of the ruling PPP.

They contended that Zardari’s act of holding political office violated Article 41(1) of the Constitution and the President,being head of the state,could not hold an office of a political party.