The two ‘two-judge’ benches of the Lahore High Court (LHC), which were created to hear a petition by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz concerning her passport, have been dissolved in one day.
Initially, the two-judge bench led by Justice Ali Baqir Najfi and consisting of Justice Farooq Haider was dissolved earlier on Tuesday when Justice Haider recused himself from hearing the case.
The new two-member bench also led by Justice Ali Baqir Najfi and comprised of Justice Asjad Javed Gharal was set to hear the case later on Tuesday but Justice Gharal also excused himself from hearing the petition.
The benches were set to hear Maryam Nawaz’s petition for retrieval of her passport so she could go to Saudi Arabia and perform Umrah.
Previously, on April 21, a two-judge bench led by Justice Syed Abbas Ali Rizvi of the LHC was also unable to hear Maryam’s case. The bench was also dissolved when Justice Anwaar-ul-Haq Pannu excused himself from the case.
Maryam Nawaz in her petition said that she had given up her passport to the LHC, adding: “I want to go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah but cannot do so because my passport is surrendered at the LHC.”
She pleaded with the court to permit her once to go for Umrah and give orders for returning her passport on a temporary basis.
