PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi resigns after court stops him from working

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Hanif Abbasi resigned from his post as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) after Islamabad High Court (IHC) had stopped him “temporarily” from performing his duties.

In a letter, the former federal minister addressed PM Shehbaz Sharif and said that he would be “unable to perform at present” and requested the premier to accept his resignation while thanking him for the opportunity.

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IHC stopped Abbasi from working as SAPM

Last month, IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah stopped Abbasi from working, saying that “a person convicted in any case is ineligible to hold any public office in the country.”

He issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, who challenged Abbasi’s appointment as SAPM on grounds of his 2018 conviction in an ephedrine case.

During the hearing, Hanif Abbasi’s counsel Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon argued that the post of SAPM is not similar to other public offices.

Justice Minallah said he hoped Abbasi would not use public office till the next hearing.

“The SAPM’s job is to advise the prime minister, he can do that without a notification as well,” he observed.