Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Hanif Abbasi has tendered resignation from his post after a court raised objections to his appointment. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has accepted his resignation, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Hanif Abbasi said wrote in his resignation, “With utmost respect, I, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, was appointed as Special Assistant to the PM vide notification on April 27, 2022, being unable to perform duties, hence I would like to give my resignation and want to thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
Hanif Abbasi said, “I can do public service without holding any public office.”
Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepted resignation of Hanif Abbasi. A notification in this regard was issued which said the resignation came into force immediately.
Earlier on May 17, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had temporarily stopped Hanif Abbasi from performing his duties as special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM).
The court had directed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider Abbasi's appointment "in case the conviction has not been set aside".
The IHC chief justice had remarked that in light of the judgment of the Supreme Court nobody could hold the public office until his conviction was sustained. Justice Athar Minallah had further remarked that there was a clear judgment of the apex court that no convicted person could hold any public office. He added that first, there was a need to remove the conviction from the court if one wanted to hold a public office.
He further said that this court did not interfere into the affairs of the executive but they should view such matters by themselves.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had issued the directives while hearing former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s petition, challenging Abbasi's appointment contending “a person with a criminal conviction, particularly a conviction for dealing in narcotics,” is unsuitable to hold such a position.
Sheikh Rashid had filed the petition challenging Abbasi's appointment on May 6 through his counsel Barrister Sajeel Shaharyar in which the Cabinet Division and Abbasi were nominated as respondents.
The petition pointed out that the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) on July 21, 2012 registered an FIR against Abbasi under Section 9-C, 14 and 15 of the Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 1997 for selling 500kg ephedrine to drug smugglers instead of using the controlled chemical in medicine.
As per the charge sheet, the two officials of Arafaat Traders, the Karachi-based medicine distribution company to whom Abbasi claimed to have supplied 11,000 ephedrine-containing tablets denied Abbasi's claim, the challan revealed, though the same company had earlier confirmed before the ANF that Abbasi had provided them ephedrine-containing tablets.
The CNS Court on July 21, 2018 found Abbasi guilty of selling 500kg of ephedrine to narcotics smugglers and a fine of Rs1 million was imposed on the PML-N leader along with the life sentence.
Reporter Awais Kiyani