LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday removed the objection over Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif’s plea against the federal government for not allowing him to travel abroad.
During the hearing, LHC judge Justice Ali Baqir Najfi remarked that the PML-N leader was allowed to travel abroad for only one time. Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyer Azam Nazeer expressed concerns over the federation’s move to stop his client at the airport and termed it as disappointing.
The counsel told that Shehbaz Sharif wants to go abroad for a medical checkup. The system will be disturbed if the government continues to treat judicial order in this way, he added.
Earlier, the federal government had filed a plea in Supreme Court to challenge the LHC order allowing Shehbaz Sharif to travel abroad and argued that how the honourable judge of the LHC could allow abroad travel without issuing notices to concerned departments.
The petition asked the apex court to suspend the LHC order of May 7 and allow the government to appeal against the decision.
Later, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed also announced that the name of PML-N president was included in Exit Control List (ECL). National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had recommended putting Shehbaz’s name on the ECL as it was investigating a corruption case of seven billion rupees against him, he pointed.
On May 7, the LHC gave one-time permission to Opposition Leader of National Assembly Shehbaz to go abroad for medical treatment. However, the federal government barred him from travelling abroad and announced to challenge the court’s decision.
Separately, the PML-N president on Tuesday also said that the incompetent ministers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government have destroyed the country.
Talking to media in Sialkot, the PML-N leader said that his party had controlled load-shedding and inflation during its tenure. The incumbent government is involved in numerous scandals, he added.
Earlier, Shehbaz said that Israeli forces attacked innocent Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.
Addressing the floor of the lower house, he said that the Israeli airstrikes pummeled the Gaza strip and destroyed hundreds of homes.
Shehbaz said that the Israeli army has been oppressing the Palestinians since 1948, adding that the report by the human rights organization on Israeli atrocities in Palestine is a good thing. He said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been occupying Kashmir.
The opposition leader appealed to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to lead from the front to stop Israeli atrocities. He also regretted Qureshi’s statement that Article 370 is an internal matter of India and said that he did not expect such a statement from the country’s foreign minister.
The PML-N president went on to say that we shouldn’t sit until the Palestinians get their due right and continue our unflinching support for the Palestinians.
He also urged the leadership of the Muslim world not to waste time and unite.
