Supreme Court dismisses plea against Makhdoom brothers

LAHORE:A two-member bench of the Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed a constitutional petition seeking disqualification of Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar and his brother, Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht.

The bench headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah took up the petition of Ahsan Abid Advocate at Lahore Registry. The petitioner pleaded that he had earlier approached the Lahore High Court for disqualification of Makhdoom brothers for concealing their assets at the time of 2018 general elections but the same was dismissed.

The bench observed that there seemed no legal flaw in the Lahore High Court’s verdict that turned down petitioner’s request to de-seat both ministers. The court also reminded the petitioner that under election law, he had a legal remedy of filing election petitions against Makhdoon brothers for their disqualification but the same was not done.

In May, Lahore High Court had disposed of a petition against both minister brothers into allegations of amassing assets beyond know source of income after National Accountability Bureau undertook that inquiries against them would be concluded in three months. The court, however, had dismissed the petition to the extent of seeking their disqualification to stay as member national assembly and member provincial assembly. Ahsan Abid Advocate had challenged the NAB chairman's order to transfer inquiries from Multan to Lahore and sought their disqualification on the ground of not disclosing their assets at the time of filing nomination papers. The petitioner, also the complainant against minister brothers, argued that in early 2018 he had moved a complaint against Makhdoom brothers to NAB Multan office but they paid no heed to it. Meanwhile, duo contested 2018 general election and became members of the assemblies. He had prayed to the court to de-seat both brothers for violating election law by concealing their assets at the time of filing nomination papers.

He had further prayed to the court to direct NAB to file references against both brothers and place their names on the exit control list.