ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday resumed hearing the petition against Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda seeking his disqualification for allegedly holding dual nationality at the time of filing of nomination papers for 2018 general elections. A five-member bench of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the case. The counsel for the petitioners and Faisal Vawda appeared before the panel. The petitioners submitted their replies on the maintainability of petitions against the minister. The bench had in the previous hearing questioned the maintainability of petitions against Vawda. Raja directed the defense to present their arguments after perusal of the replies of the petitioners. The defense again objected the jurisdiction to entertain the petition and sought their dismissal. The counsel argued that such a reference could not be submitted before the election commission directly. “It should be submitted to the National Assembly speaker and the ECP could act only when a reference against an MNA was sent by the speaker,” the defense argued.