A Pakistani court on Wednesday sought responses from the President and Prime Minister to a petition filed by former Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi challenging his sacking by the government.
Justice Riaz Khan of the Islamabad High Court asked the President, Prime Minister, Establishment Secretary and the current Defence Secretary to submit their responses to Lodhi's petition and adjourned the case till the second week of February.
Lodhi, a confidant of army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, was sacked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani last week on charges of gross misconduct and creating misunderstandings between the government and the military over the alleged memo that had sought US help to stave off a coup in Pakistan last year.
The memo has triggered a confrontation between the civilian administration and the army. Lodhi earned Gilani's ire by filing an affidavit in the apex court that said the government had no operational control over the army and Inter-Services Intelligence.
In his petition, Lodhi claimed he had been sacked without being given an opportunity to explain his position. Lodhi's lawyer asked the court to declare the notification sacking him as invalid as it was illegal.
The high court said this could not be done without hearing the government's views. The judge then asked the respondents to submit their responses to the court.