NA Speaker rejects Sheikh Rashid's reference against PM Nawaz

Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Monday rejected Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s reference seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification.

Sheikh Rashid had submitted a 182-page reference on August 16, demanding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif be disqualified from NA membership for violating articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

As per the articles, only a righteous and pious person can be a member of a legislative assembly.

Announcing his decision on the AML chief’s reference today, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq stated that the reference carries insufficient evidence, thus, Nawaz Sharif cannot be disqualified from NA membership.

He said the reference cannot be forwarded to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is facing barrage of criticism and is under heavy pressure from the opposition parties after The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in the Panama Papers revealed the offshore holdings of members of his family.

However, the Prime Minister denies any wrongdoing.

Earlier this month, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had also filed a similar reference before the NA speaker.