PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday began hearing petitions seeking the disqualification of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Shahram Tarakai, Lawmaker Muhammad Ali Tarakai and Senator Liaqat Tarakai in Panama offshore assets case. The commission adjourned hearing until August 17 and clubbed the petitions filed by the other political parties including PPP, PTI, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s Awami Muslim League (AML) and Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) against Sharif family. Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Bushra Gohar had submitted application before the ECP for disqualification of Senator Liaqat Ali, his brother MPA Muhammad Ali Taraki and son Shahram Tarakai who holds the office of the Health Minister in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Government. The petitions were filed in June following the disclosures made in Panama Papers about Pakistani politicians running offshore companies in an illegal attempt for the purpose of tax evasion in Pakistan. However, they had remained pending as the ECP was dysfunctional in the absence of its members. Talking to Daily Times ANP Senator Bushra Gohar said that the ECP has accepted the petition and clubbed it with other identical petitions. She said that next hearing would be important as the ECP will decide the disqualification petition regarding three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders maintainability together. She said that under the constitution the ECP has the power to hear and decide the case and assert its decision in the offshore companies’ case and disqualifies those who made attempt to evade tax in the country. Senator Gohar cited article 218(3) of the Constitution, which reads: “It shall be the duty of the Election Commission to organize and conduct the election and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law, and that corrupt practices are guarded against.” Talking to reporter after hearing Bushra said that ANP has concentrated its energies on PTI leaders exposed in offshore companies list and concealment of assets and liabilities from ECP. She said that the duty of the ECP is not only to hold records of Lawmakers and conduct election but it has the power to disqualify lawmakers and senators for deceiving ECP in its documents of declaration of assets. Meanwhile, Sardar Latif Khosa, appearing before the ECP as counsel for PPP, had argued that the commission’s role was not limited to the conduct of free and fair elections, stressing that guarding against corrupt practices by elected representatives was also part of its constitutional mandate. PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq said it would be difficult for the ECP to reject the disqualification petitions and asked the commission to hold day-to-day hearings of the petitions from August 17. Ironically all major political parties of the country has submitted petitions in the ECP for the disqualification of all those who had been exposed in the offshore companies leaked and demanding for prompt action in this regard. However, it is to mention that ANP is the only political party in the country who has no leader in the Panama paper revelation and digging hard in the petition in the ECP against those reveled in Panama paper. It’s also demanded ECP for the prompt action for transparent electoral system.