Notices issued on Sattar’s plea against his expulsion from MQM-Pakistan

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Rabita Committee of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and others on a lawsuit filed by former MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar against his expulsion from the party.

Dr Sattar, who has also once been the MQM-P convener, submitted in the case that he was expelled from the party membership without complying with the Election Act, 2017 and the party rules. He claimed that only one member of the Rabita Committee had signed the notification with regard to his expulsion from the MQM-P and the party’s disciplinary rules had been violated in the impugned decision.

The SHC was requested to direct the MQM-P to restore the membership of Dr Sattar and declare the party’s decision to expel him as unlawful and against the political parties laws. Issuing notices to the ECP, MQM-P and others, the SHC directed the plaintiff to satisfy the court about the maintainability of the case with regard to jurisdiction of the court.

Hussain Lawai’s bail plea

The high court issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and others on the bail petition of Hussain Lawai, former banker and close aide to Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari, in a multi-billion money laundering case.

The applicant submitted that the Supreme Court had transferred the investigation to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) while he was in custody since the last five months. The SHC directed the counsel to satisfy the court about maintainability of the application after the transfer of the investigation to NAB Islamabad.

Hussain Lawai, Taha Raza, Omni Group head Anwar Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed were arrested by the FIA in multi-billion money laundering and fake accounts case.

Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and others have already obtained pre-arrest bail from the SHC and the Islamabad High Court following the submission of interim charge sheet before a banking court by the FIA in which they were shown as beneficiaries of the illegal fake accounts. The FIA had alleged in the interim charge sheet that the Omni Group directors were involved in the opening of bogus accounts, placement of illegitimate funds for routing of billions of rupees funds and the amount was credited in a fake account of a private firm through cheques of the co-accused in the scam.