Pakistan court dismisses petition to disqualify PM Nawaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: A court in Pakistan has dismissed a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly taking illegal funds from Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency in early 1990s.

Justice Shaukat Siddiqui dismissed the petition yesterday after preliminary hearing by declaring it as non-maintainable, a lawyer said.

The plea was filed in the Islamabad High Court under article 199 of the constitution.

The petitioner accused that Sharif was involved in the Mehran Bank scandal and received 3.3 million Pakistan rupees from the Inter-Services Intelligence to overthrow the then government of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Mehran Bank, also known as Mehrangate, was a major political scandal in the history of Pakistan between 1990 -1994.

It has been alleged that several politicians including Sharif were involved in it and the petitioner requested the court to disqualify Sharif as he was not an honest person.