ISLAMABAD: Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court dismissed on Thursday a petition seeking the status of field marshal for Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif.

The judge observed that the court lacked jurisdiction to direct the legislature in this regard.

When Justice Farooq asked the petitioner’s counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti if there was any law under which the federal government might be asked to elevate Gen Raheel to field marshal, he said the federal government might make a new law for the purpose.

In his order, Justice Farooq said: “No direction can be issued to the legislature to legislate a particular law.”

The order declared that the petition was “without merit and dismissed”.

The petition, which had named the prime minister and the secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, said Gen Raheel, whose three-year term is going to expire on Nov 27, launched the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorists and it was still in progress.

It said Gen Raheel had also initiated and formulated the National Action Plan for the safety and security of Pakistan and was also monitoring the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

The petition asserted that there was a universal and divine law that whosoever rendered his services for the nation and humanity at a larger scale in an extraordinary, exemplary and selfless manner he should be elevated to the highest level of military hierarchy.

The petition had requested the court to direct Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the secretaries of the defence and cabinet division to elevate Gen Raheel to the rank of field marshal.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2016