SC rejects Vawda's plea to stop poll on Senate seat fell vacant after his disqualification

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday dismissed Faisal Vawda’s petition seeking cancellation of elections on a Senate seat that fell vacant after his disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The ECP had set March 9 as the date for the election on the vacant Senate seat.

In its judgment, the apex court said that it is necessary to clarify whether the ECP can disqualify the elected representatives for life or not. It is also compulsory to decide the limits of the ECP’s powers.

It is the first case of its kind and they will have to look into the jurisdiction of the ECP. The results of the March 9 election will be subjected to the court’s ruling, the judgment read. 

IHC dismisses Vawda's plea challenging his disqualification

On February 16, the IHC had dismissed former federal minister Faisal Vawda's plea seeking nullification of the ECP's decision to disqualify him for a lifetime.

An ECP bench on February 9 had announced the verdict in the PTI leader's dual nationality case, disqualifying him as a lawmaker.

"...the Court has not been able to persuade itself that the impugned order, dated 09-02-2022, suffers from any legal infirmity requiring interference. The petition is, therefore, accordingly dismissed," IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah — who heard the case — said in the judgement.

Justice Minallah had said the date for being qualified to be a member of the Parliament was the date when the nomination papers were filed.

"...the process of relinquishment of the foreign nationality should have been completed and concluded before submission of the nomination papers," the judge had noted.