Daily Times

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday restored a plea seeking disqualification of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and Sindh Assembly member Faryal Talpur.

A five-member ECP bench headed by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja led the proceedings into a case from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Arsalan Taj seeking disqualification of the PPP leader.

The commission also issued notice to Faryal Talpur in the case and adjourned the hearing till March 02. The petitioner said that his plea was rejected earlier after he failed to appear before the ECP in the case.

Last year in December, the commission had adjourned the hearing of the petition after the petitioners’ counsel sought time to file a response

Two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs had moved a petition in the ECP seeking disqualification of Faryal Talpur as member of the provincial assembly.

They stated the PPP leader should be disqualified under Article 62 of the Constitution as she failed to declare details of her assets before the ECP, which means she is no longer ‘Sadiq and Ameen’. Talpur owned properties in Larkana and Shahdadkot, the petitioner stated. They added Talpur has been nominated in a case pertaining to billions of rupees corruption through fake bank accounts and pleaded that she be disqualified as a member of the Sindh Assembly. Meanwhile, The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday has rejected the plea seeking suspension of Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda’s membership till the conclusion of final arguments in disqualification case.

During the hearing, Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan (CEC) Jalal Sikandar Sultan Raja has issued notice to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and adjourned the hearing till February 27.

It is to be mentioned here that Chairman Aman Taraki Party filed a plea against Vawda, stating that he is no longer Sadiq and Ameen (truthful and trustworthy) as he concealed his dual citizenship and submitted a false affidavit in the ECP with his nomination papers. On Jan 20, an investigative report revealed that Faisal Vawda had committed perjury by falsely declaring in an oath to the ECP that he did not hold any foreign nationality. Vawda was in possession of a United States passport at the time he filed his nomination papers on June 11, 2018. The minister remained an American national even at the time the scrutiny of his nomination papers was completed. On Jan 17, sessions court in Lahore had conducted hearing on a plea seeking registration of case against Vawda for bringing boot in a private news channel’s talk show.

In the petition, the plaintiff said that Faisal Vawda has insulted the national institutions by lifting boot in the talk show. Federal minister’s this move has defamed the image of prestigious institutions, he added.