KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed Advocate Maulvi Iqbal Haider to satisfy the court on the maintainability of his petition seeking removal of the prime minister`s advisers and special assistants with portfolios equivalent to federal and state ministers.

Headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, a two-judge bench observed that all the parties made respondents by the petitioner belonged to Islamabad.

The judges asked the petitioner to forward his arguments on the maintainability of the petition at the next hearing, which would be fixed later by the court`s office.

The petitioner, a practising lawyer and chairman of Awami Himayat Tehreek Pakistan, moved the SHC submitting that the cabinet division had appointed four advisers and nine special assistants to the PM and given them the powers of ministers in violation of the Constitution.

He informed the court that Engineer Ameer Muqam, Irfan Siddiqui, Jam Mashooq Ali and Sartaj Aziz were enjoying ministers` powers as advisers to prime minister on national history, literary heritage, political affairs and foreign affairs, respectively.

Besides, he added, Tariq Fatemi, Dr Musaddiq Malik, Miftah Ismail, Captain (retd) Shujaat Azeem, Dr Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani, barrister Zafarullah Khan, Haroon Khan and Sharjeel Adnan Shaikh were appointed special assistants to the PM.

The petitioner said that after the 18th Amendment, the powers of the president and prime minister had been reduced. `As per the amendment the president shall appoint the state and federal ministers on the advice of the parliament amongst the members of Majlis-i-Shura,` he added.

The Constitution was very clear that the president was the competent authority to appoint state and federal ministers but their strength shallnot exceed 11 per cent of the total members of the parliament.

He asked the SHC to declare the appointment of advisers and special assistants illegal.