Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday served notices to respondents on a petition seeking to quash disqualification case against former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition filed by Faryal Talpur through her lawyer Farooq H Naek.

At the outset of hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer contended that the ECP had opened the disqualification case against Talpur on the applications of MPAs Arslan Taj and Rabia Azfar. The ECP had already dismissed this case due to non pursuance by the complainants, he added.

The petition prayed the court to declare the ECP decision dated February 8, as null and void, and stopped its proceedings against his client’s disqualification.

The petitioner said the political opponents were fabricating baseless cases against her as she was the sister of a former president.

Talpur said the two MPAs had moved applications to Sindh Assembly speaker which was dismissed later, adding that the ECP had no authority to hear the case against the speaker’s decision.

The court served notices to respondents and sought comments till April 20.

It may be mentioned here that two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Arsalan Taj and Rabia Azfar had moved a petition in the ECP seeking disqualification of Talpur as member of the provincial assembly over allegedly concealing her assets.

They stated that the Pakistan Peoples Party 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’.

Faryal Talpur owned properties in Larkana and Shahdadkot, the petitioner stated, adding Talpur had been nominated in a case pertaining to billions of rupees corruption through fake bank accounts. They pleaded that she should be disqualified as a member of the Sindh Assembly.

Zardari’s plea

An Accountability Court (AC) on Tuesday adjourned hearing till April 29, on objections of former president Asif Ali Zardari against confiscation of his house in Clifton Karachi by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). AC-I Judge Muhammad Bashir adjourned the case without further proceedings due to absence of Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H Naek. The associate lawyer appeared before the court and pleaded that his client had approached the top court for shifting references to the Karachi courts. He prayed to adjourn the case till next date which was accepted by the court.