The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the Federal Law & Justice secretary, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary and the Sindh election commissioner to file their comments in a petition seeking disqualification of elected representatives with dual nationality.
The petitioner, Human Rights Commission South Asia representative Syed Muhammad Iqbal Kazmi, filed his constitutional petition and asked the court to take action against the elected senators, National Assembly members and Sindh Assembly members who possess dual nationality.
Kazmi said, “They (the legislators) have trampled the constitution and violated the laws of the country.”
He said there are at least 35 elected representatives in the country who possess dual nationality.
He requested the court to postpone the Senate elections, scheduled for March 2, until his petition is disposed of.
The bench observed that the petitioner had heavily relied upon information derived from television channels.
The court asked the petitioner to take advantage of the law regarding ‘access to information’ and gather relevant information from the ECP.
The SHC then issued notices to the secretaries of the Federal Law & Justice Ministry and the ECP as well as the provincial election commissioner to file their comments on February 21.
FRAUD CASE: The SHC on Wednesday also put on notice the Federal Interior secretary, the Federal Foreign Affairs secretary and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general (DG) over non-compliance of court orders.
A local businessman Haji Siddique had filed a petition through his counsel Advocate Wazir Khoso, stating that one Maqsood Rehman, resident of Abbottabad, had committed fraud against him and escaped to Dubai.
A case was filed against Rehman, and the court of South additional district and sessions judge had issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest.
Siddique then approached the SHC for the arrest of the accused, following which the court ordered the FIA to arrest him through the International Criminal Police Organisation, but the FIA did not taken any action.
On Wednesday, an SHC divisional bench comprising Justices Maqbool Baqar and Nisar Ahmed Sheikh directed the federal secretaries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs ministries as well as the FIA DG to file their comments.
The bench also ordered that if the accused could not be brought before the court, then an officer not below the rank of deputy director be present in court on behalf of the accused.
ECP secy given until 21st to respond to court orders
