ISLAMABAD: A full bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned until September 9, hearing on the appeals filed by the government against the disqualification of PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab, on the request of counsel for the federation.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice Moosa K Leghari, Justice Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali, adjourned the hearing after newly-appointed Deputy Attorney General Iftikhar Hussain Shah sought adjournment in the case. The DAG informed the court that earlier Raja Abdur Rehman, who had been appearing in the case on behalf of the federation, had resigned from the office. He requested the court to grant him some time so that he could study the case and argue.

However, Ahmad Raza Kasuri, counsel for one of the respondents, Syed Khurram Shah, opposed the adjournment plea, saying that it was an important case whose hearing should be continued. The counsel contended that since the country was passing through a critical phase, the apex court being the main pillar of the state, should urgently decide the case on merit.

The federal government had filed appeals with the Supreme Court against a June 24, 2008 Lahore High Court verdict disqualifying PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif from contesting by-election and referring a challenge regarding the candidature of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to an election tribunal.