Special assistants to PM cannot exercise executive powers: IHC

The Islamabad High Court in a detailed judgment made it clear that the special assistants to the prime minister could not exercise executive authority, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

Earlier, the court had rejected a petition against the appointment of special assistants; however, a two-member bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani and Justice Ghulam Azam Qambrani did define the scope of their powers and working.

The detailed verdict says the special assistants of the prime minister are not equivalent to the federal ministers or the state ministers and the status is only meant to fix their perks and privileges.

As such, the two-member IHC bench notes that the special assistants can neither participate in the federal cabinet meetings nor address the Parliament.

However, the verdict notes that their appointment is not a violation of any article of the Constitution.

On Monday, the IHC dismissed the petition, challenging the appointments of 15 special assistants to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In his petition, a citizen Farrukh Nawaz Bhatti had argued that the appointments were liable to be set aside ab initio from their dates of appointment with a further direction to declare the actions, decisions or exercise of any power under any law as well as receipt of any financial benefit.

For this purpose, he sought the declaration of sub-rule (6) of Rule 4 of the Rules of Business, 1973, as ultra vires to the Constitution.