Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) directed on Tuesday former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur to file a response to a petition seeking her disqualification as member of the Sindh Assembly.

An ECP bench headed by the commission’s member Irshad Qaiser took up the petition.

The bench decided to proceed with the case after it was informed that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has not granted any stay order against the ECP proceedings on Ms Talpur’s plea that sought to bar the commission from hearing the disqualification case.

Qaiser said that the bench would announce its verdict once arguments are completed as soon as possible. He further said the case should be heard on a daily basis and adjourned the hearing until July 15.

Two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Arsalan Taj and Rabia Azfar had moved a petition in the ECP seeking disqualification of Ms Talpur as member of the provincial assembly over allegedly concealing her assets.

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’.

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.