Daily Times

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed both parties in the Faisal Vawda qualification case to present final arguments on October 12. Petitioner Qadir Khan Mandokhel on Wednesday pleaded to a two-member bench of the Election Commission to take action against the Returning Officer (RO) of the Election Commission in NA-249.

Election Commission member Nisar Durrani said, “ECP only hears the case of disqualification of Faisal Vawda.” Lawyers of Faisal Vawda apprised the court that Vawda is no longer a member of the National Assembly. He pleaded that ECP cannot hear the disqualification case.

Nisar Durrani said that Faisal Vawda’s position is that after becoming a senator, he is no longer disqualified. The ECP gave one last chance to lawyers of Faisal Vawda to present their arguments. The final arguments in the Faisal Vawda disqualification case will be heard on October 12. The case hearing has been adjourned till October 12.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reserved a ruling on a plea seeking access to documents filed in connection with PML-N and PPP foreign funding case until October 11. Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib has moved a petition in the ECP seeking access to records in the PML-N and PPP foreign funding case.

PML-N counsel Jahangir Jadoon said the PTI lawyers have another motive as they did not want to see just the record. He said the petitioner did not submit any record of foreign funding proofs in the ECP Scrutiny Committee.

Farrukh Habib pleaded he needed two days to see the documents of PML-N and PPP. ECP Member Nisar Usmani said, “We gave permission to Akbar S Babar to see the PTI record.” On this, the PML-N lawyer said, “Our case is different from the PTI foreign funding case.”

Talking to media outside the Election Commission, Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib said that PML-N is a party which worships ‘money’. “Like Akbar Babar, we should also be allowed to review the documents but PPP and PML-N are not ready to show the documents either,” he said.

“As per the SBP, a political party hides 12 and another hides seven accounts,” he claimed. He said PTI had submitted a record of 40,000 donors.