Court permits PTI's Saifullah Abro to partake in Senate election

KARACHI: PTI leader Saifullah Abro can now contest in the  Senate elections on March 3 after the Sindh High Court (SHC) ruled in his favour against the Election Tribunal’s decision, Geo News reported Thursday.

During the hearing, Abro’s lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan told the court that his client fulfils all the educational requirements that are needed for a person to contest the technocrat seat in the Senate polls. He also added that his client has rendered his services for Pakistan.

After hearing the arguments, the court overturned the Election Tribunal’s decision declaring Abro's ineligibility to contest the Senate elections and allowed him to vie for the seat.

On Wednesday, the SHC had agreed to hear the appeal filed by the PTI leader challenging the Election Tribunal’s order declaring him ineligible for the technocrat seat of the Senate.

Abro, in his plea, argued that the tribunal gave the ruling in his case while “ignoring the facts”.

He urged the court to declare the tribunal’s ruling "illegal" and allow him to contest the Senate elections.

The tribunal had declared Abro as ineligible after his nomination papers for a technocrat seat from Sindh, accepted by the returning officer (RO), were challenged by GM Khan and Shahid Ali last week.

The petitioners had contested the RO's ruling on grounds that Abro does not meet the requirements of a technocrat as he has criminal cases registered against him, and was being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). They had also alleged that the PTI leader had hidden assets to his name.

Abro's lawyer had challenged the claims laid before the tribunal but failed to secure a favourable ruling for his client.

In its verdict, the tribunal declared the verdict of the RO null and void.

"The objections raised by the petitioners were proved true and Saifullah Abro does not fulfil the requirement of a technocrat," the order had earlier stated.