ECP admits petition against Zardari for initial hearing

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday accepted for initial hearing a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, seeking disqualification of former President and Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

 A five-member bench of the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, accepted the disqualification ‘reference’ filed by PTI MPA Khurrum Sher Zaman for initial hearing.

It was learnt that for initial hearing, through a notice, the PTI legislator would be summoned for hearing likely next week during which the petitioner would be asked to give arguments why the petition be formally accepted for hearing.

Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain had revealed on December 19 that a decision had been made to move a disqualification reference against the PPP leader for allegedly not disclosing an apartment, which he owned in the United States.

The very next day, Kurram Zaman had submitted the petition in the Sindh Election Commission with the claim that he had presented strong evidence to substantiate his contention that Zardari be disqualified as a legislator of the National Assembly. The provincial Election Commission had forwarded the petition to the Election Commission Secretariat here.

On his part, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi had tweeted about what he claimed Zardari’s apartment in New York with the address as well and that the tax receipts carried his name. While in the petition, Khurram Zaman alleged that Zardari did not fulfill the criterion enshrined in the articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution for he had hidden his property in the United States while filing his nomination papers.