Plea seeking Zardari’s disqualification: IHC seeks opinion from Senate chairman, NA Speaker

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court sought opinion from Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker and summoned the attorney general on petition seeking disqualification of former president Asif Ali Zardari as a member of the National Assembly.

IHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, was hearing the petitions filed by PM’s Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Usman Dar and PTI MPA from Karachi Khurram Sher Zaman, who sought disqualification of Asif Ali Zardari. During the hearing Monday, the PTI lawmaker’s lawyer contended before the court that an election tribunal could disqualify a candidate after election. At this, the chief justice questioned whether the person disqualified by the tribunal doesn’t have the right to go to the court against the verdict.

Justice Minallah questioned that why should the court meddle in unnecessary matters and asked the counsel to satisfy the court in this regard. This court disqualified a foreign minister but the Supreme Court overturned his disqualification, the judge said.

He remarked that the court regards elected representatives as immensely important and directed the counsel to submit documents regarding the disqualification. “Why should Parliament not deal with this matter without the court’s intervention?” he asked. “There are parliamentary committees that handle these matters”.

IHC chief justice said even the election of a prime minister, who is elected by members of Parliament, is challenged here. “If the Election Commission of Pakistan can look into the matter why should the court intervene”?

The bench sought Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker’s opinion on the matter through the court’s registrar and summoned the attorney general to satisfy the court in this connection on the next hearing on April 6.