Ali Jehangir Siddiqui lands into trouble yet again
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*ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to the secretary cabinet division, the foreign secretary, and the prime minister’s principal secretary to submit comments on a petition challenging Ali Jahangir Siddiqui’s appointment as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States (US). *
A bench of the high court also put the Attorney General on notice to ensure the filing of comments by the official respondents until the next hearing. The hearing was put off for two weeks.
The petitioner argued that the process of the appointment of Siddiqui, the premier’s special assistant, to such an important post lacked merit.
The federal authorities ignored experienced diplomats and made the appointment on the basis of favoritism, he alleged while pleading that the court should strike down Siddiqui’s appointment as US ambassador.
An identical petition is also pending in the Lahore High Court where the petitioner has adopted a stance that the appointment has been made without consulting the federal cabinet.
The petition contended that the appointee doesn’t have the prerequisite experience to serve as an ambassador to the US, hence the court should immediately declare Siddiqui’s appointment as null and void.