Hanif Abbasi steps down as SAPM

Following controversy over the appointment of PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi as special assistant to the prime minister, he resigned on Thursday.

Confirming this news, Abbasi expressed his thanks to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for instilling his confidence.

Last month, Chief Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) prevented Abbasi from working, saying that a person convicted in any case is not eligible for public office in the country.

On 6 May, former Interior Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed challenged a notification concerning the appointment of PML-N Abbasi as SAPM.

According to the petition, Abbasi was convicted in a case of ephedrine quota against whom an appeal concerning his sentence is pending before the Lahore High Court.

The petitioner stated that a person found guilty cannot be named as SAPM.