Farogh Naseem resigns as law minister, will represent govt in Justice Isa's reference case

Published June 1, 2020
MQM-P leader Farogh Naseem was appointed as law minister after 2018 general elections. — DawnNewsTV/File
MQM-P leader Farogh Naseem was appointed as law minister after 2018 general elections. — DawnNewsTV/File

MQM-P leader Farogh Naseem on Monday said that he has resigned from his post as law minister on the "request of the prime minister of Pakistan".

Naseem has stepped down in order to represent the government in the presidential references filed against Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa. In an official statement, Naseem said: "I'll represent the federation in the case and therefore I have tendered my resignation as the law minister."

"I have no personal vendetta [against] any person, judge, bar council or a lawyer not even with Justice Qazi Faez Isa," he said further. "I will appear in the Honorable Court only as a lawyer to assist the Hon'ble Court."

Naseem's resignation has yet to be accepted by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Presidential references against Justice Isa, as well as a judge of the Sindh High Court and another of the Lahore High Court, were filed on the pretext of undeclared foreign assets last year.

Related: Justice Isa reference can hurt entire judiciary, says SC judge

A set of petitions challenging the presidential reference filed against Justice Isa for not declaring three offshore properties in the name of his wife and children is currently being heard by a 10-member bench of the top court. The bench had last year issued notices to the federal government regarding the references, which have been filed in the Supreme Judicial Council.

Naseem was appointed as the law minister after he was elected in the 2018 general elections. He had resigned in November last year to represent the government in a case pertaining to the extension of Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa that was being heard by the Supreme Court.

After the case was decided, Naseem was sworn back into office.

Opinion

Editorial

Ultimate price
Updated 02 Nov, 2024

Ultimate price

To dismantle culture of impunity for crimes against journalists, state must ensure that perpetrators do not go unpunished.
Mastung bombing
02 Nov, 2024

Mastung bombing

INSTABILITY continues to haunt Balochistan, as Friday morning’s bombing in Mastung has shown. At least nine...
Plane speak
02 Nov, 2024

Plane speak

DESPITE all its efforts to facilitate PIA’s privatisation, it seems the government only ended up being taken for a...
Seeking investment
Updated 01 Nov, 2024

Seeking investment

Foreign visits will be fruitless unless crucial structural, policy reforms directly affecting investors are focused.
State-backed terror
01 Nov, 2024

State-backed terror

OVER the past year or so, India’s reportedly malign activities in foreign countries have increasingly come under the radar, with
Shared crisis
01 Nov, 2024

Shared crisis

WITH Lahore experiencing unprecedented levels of smog, the Punjab government has announced a series of “green...