Sanjrani as acting president: AG asked to present final arguments

Our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday directed the Attorney General to present final arguments on a petition challenging the appointment of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani as acting president in the absence of the president, otherwise, the court will give its decision.

The IHC single-judge bench of Justice Aamir Farooq of resumed the hearing on a petition challenging Sanjrani’s appointment as the Constitution requires a candidate who is minimum 45 years of age. During the hearing, Justice Aamir Farooq directed Attorney General Khalid Mehmood to present final arguments on the petition as six months have already passed and the court can’t give more time to the petitioner.

Khalid Mehmood requested the court for more time to submit reply. The IHC accepted the request and gave final time to the attorney general to submit reply. The court adjourned the case for one month.

The petition argues that Sanjrani cannot become the acting president of Pakistan because he does not meet the requirements of the Constitution.

According to Article 49 of the Constitution, the Senate chairman becomes the acting president in the absence of the head of the state. However, Article 41 states that the individual needs to be more than 45 years of age to be the president. The petition argues that Sanjrani is 40 years old and does not fulfil the basic requirement.