SC serves notice on Imran in Zulfi Bukhari case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday issued notices to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Secretary Cabinet Division in a petition seeking disqualification of Zulfiqar Bukhari as Special Assistant to Premier on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development with the status of Minister of State because he has dual citizenship.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar resumed hearing in a joint petition filed by Muhammad Adil Chatta and Mirza Abdul Moiz Beg, challenging the appointment of Zulfiqar Bukhari.

The court after accepting the petition for regular hearing, issued notices to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Secretary Cabinet Division for November 16. During the course of hearing, the CJ asked counsel for Zulfi Bukhari as to whether an ordinary citizen possessing dual nationality can become a minister. The Chief Justice observed that when a person having dual citizenship cannot become a parliamentarian, then how can he become a minister.

The CJ then asked the counsel for the petitioner Adil Chatta that if he has moved the apex court under Article 62 (1) (c) of the constitution, to which the counsel replied that it is a cardinal principle of law and justice that ‘what cannot be done directly, cannot be donendirectly’. Justice Ijazul Ahsen, another member of the bench, observe that no court has given a verdict against Bukhari as yet, while Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said that the Constitution does not carry any provision or qualification for the appointment of special assistant.

Later, the court issued notices to Premier Imran Khan and Secretary Cabinet Division and adjourned the hearing until Friday, November 16.