ISLAMABAD: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the sacking of the defence secretary by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, DawnNews reported.

Advocate Tariq Asad in his petition pleaded that Lt-Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi was sacrificed by the government due to the Supreme Court’s orders in the memo case and the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case.

The petitioner further sought the court’s role in stopping the army leadership from taking any unconstitutional steps.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Office had said in a statement: “General Lodhi was dismissed for gross misconduct and illegal action…and for creating misunderstanding between institutions.”

Gen Lodhi, who took over as the defence secretary on November 28 last year, was considered to be a close confidant of Gen Kayani.