Khalid Lodhi moves IHC against his removal
18 January, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen (r) Naeem Khalid Lodhi on Tuesday moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against his removal as defence secretary. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani sacked Lodhi on January 11 for "gross misconduct" and "creating misunderstanding among state institutions". Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Defence. Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan will take up the petition today (Wednesday). President Asif Ali Zardari, the prime minister, Nargis Sethi, the Establishment secretary and Federation of Pakistan have been made respondents. The government says Lodhi did not follow rules of business while submitting statements of the army chief and ISI DG in the memogate controversy to the Supreme Court. Lodhi said in his petition that he was sacked without any charge sheet, a show-cause notice or an inquiry into government's allegations against him. He said the respondents had pressured him to sign an affidavit prepared by government functionaries and which was in "complete conflict with factual position narrated by the army chief and ISI DG in their written statements". He said he had no moral justification to sign an affidavit prepared by someone else. End.
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