Cannot decide against Zardari on basis of news reports: court
M Zulqernain
Lahore, Feb 15 (PTI) A court has said that petitions against Asif Ali Zardari holding the posts of Pakistan President and chief of the ruling PPP simultaneously cannot be decided on the basis of news reports.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry made the observation yesterday when the counsel for one of the petitioners, A K Dogar, questioned the reputation and character of Zardari while making references to several newspaper reports.
If courts start deciding cases in the light of news items, the situation will be worsened, the Chief Justice said.
Dogar, who is also the counsel for Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, argued that the Supreme Court had made references to several news reports in its judgement that declared the 2007 emergency as unconstitutional and illegal.
The Chief Justice, who was heading a full bench that is hearing the case, adjourned the matter till February 21.
Petitions have been filed by the Pakistan Lawyers Forum, Ghulam Jillani and Asif Mehmood Khan seeking the disqualification of Zardari as President for simultaneously holding the political office as the head of the PPP.
They also raised questions about the bad reputation of the President, claiming this was another ground for his disqualification.