Qualification of three female PTI MNAs challenged in IHC

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday served notices to respondents in a petition challenging the eligibility of three Members of National Assembly (MNAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insafaaf (PTI): Maleeka Ali Bokhari, Tashfeen Safdar and Kanwal Shauzab.

The petitioners pleaded that the three MNAs did not meet the criteria to hold membership of the Parliament under Article 62, 63 of the Constitution as they hide information in their nomination papers.

Justice Aamer Farooq took up the case for hearing, filed by two citizens Abdullah Khan and Chaudhry Mehmood Ali Hashim through their counsel Ahmad Raza Qasuri Advocate.

The petitioners had claimed in their plea that MNA Maleeka Bokhari was not eligible to participate in general election as she was holding dual nationality at time of submission of her nomination papers.

She submitted her nomination papers on June 10, 2018 and left the British nationality on June 11.

The petitioner also alleged MNA Tashfeen Safdar for hiding the information related to her dual nationality in her nomination papers.

They claimed that the MNA had left the dual nationality in 2013 and in an affidavit she said she neither hold dual nationality, nor applied for it.

The petition said the third MNA Kanwal Shauzab had given wrong information in documents to shift her vote in Rawalpindi from Islamabad.

The bench served notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan, three MNAs and other respondent to submit reply within one week.