ECP holds hearing against Zardari today

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold today (Thursday) preliminary hearing regarding an application, filed by a PTI MPA, seeking disqualification of Asif Ali Zardari for allegedly hiding his New York flat in his statement of assets.

The ECP’s four-member bench, headed by Sindh member of the Election Commission, Abdul Ghaffar Soomro, will conduct hearing. Other members are: Justice (retd) Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, Punjab, Justice (retd) Shakeel Ahmad Baloch, Balochistan and Justice (retd) Mrs Irshad Qaiser, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A few weeks back, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf decided to file a disqualification reference against Asif Zardari and the announcement to this effect, was made by Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Husain.

The application was submitted to the Sindh Election Commission by PTI MPA Khurram Sher Zaman, who claimed to have substantial evidence that Zardari owned a flat in New York, but did not mention it in his statement of assets and liabilities filed in the ECP.

The ECP decided to hold preliminary hearing of the application and Khurram Zaman was likely to give a presentation to the four-member bench Thursday. The forum is expected to take a decision shortly on whether or not to hold formal hearing with regards to the disqualification application.

In a tit-for-tit move, Pakistan People’s Party’s spokesperson former senator Farhatullah Babar filed an application in the ECP, seeking details of the statement of assets and liabilities, filed by Prime Minister Imran Khan. PPP is in the process of collecting evidence against the prime minister to also then file a disqualification application.