SC allows Sumaira Malik’s plea against disqualification

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday allowed a review petition of former federal minister Sumaira Malik against her disqualification in the fake degree case.

The PML-N leader had challenged her disqualification in 2013 for possessing BA degree by way of impersonation. The petitioner's counsel submitted that the Punjab University and the election tribunal had declared the BA degree of Sumaira Malik as genuine after due verification. He submitted that the forensic report also confirmed the photographs and validly concluded that the photographs belong to the petitioner. He submitted that the penalty granted to the petitioner is deprivation of a life time from taking part in electoral politics which is a serious deprivation and infringement of the individual’s rights and requested the court to allow the petition and allow her to contest the general elections.

The respondent counsel submitted that the petitioner obtained BA degree by way of impersonation as features of photographs, signatures on the documents were different and requested the court to dismiss the petition. The SC’s three member bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar observed that after examining of expert reports with regard to photographs of the petitioner, the court could not put a stigma on the petitioner when the expert report supported her case and allowed the review application for the reasons to be recorded later on.