ECP restores Dar’s Senate membership

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday issued a notification to restore the Senate membership of Muhammad Ishaq Dar and also withdrew a notification, issued on June 29, 2018.

According to the notification, Ishaq Dar's membership has been restored from March 9, 2018. It may be recalled that the Senate membership of the PMLN leader and former finance minister was suspended by former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar in May 2018.

Earlier, a petition was filed in the Supreme Courtagainst the former finance minister being elected senator, on which he was ordered to appear in person on May 8, 2018, but he did not appear. Dar won the March 3, 2018 Senate election as an independent candidate, backed by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), but he had not yet taken the oath of office.

The petition was filed by Nawazish Pirzada of the PPP, in which he had contended that an absconder (Dar) could not run in the elections. It is pertinent that Dar had been in London since October 2017 and declared an absconder by the Accountability Court in a corruption reference.