Petition for treason filed against Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan

LAHORE: A petition was filed today in a Pakistani court to register a treason case against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif for his controversial remarks questioning the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai in 2008.

The petition was filed in the Lahore High Court by advocate Aftab Virk on behalf of Pakistan Awaami Tehreek's Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, alleging that Sharif's statement is against national security and state institutions.

Sharif on Saturday publicly acknowledged in an interview that militant organisations are active in Pakistan and questioned the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai.


The petition also prayed the court to initiate proceedings against him, The Express Tribune reported.

Federal Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal is also mentioned as a respondent in the petition apart from 68-year-old Sharif.
Sharif's comments have stirred a controversy in Pakistan.

Opposition parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), launched a broadside against Sharif, calling him a security threat.

Even the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the former interior minister, did not endorse Sharif's statement.