ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will hear Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khawaja Asif’s petition challenging his disqualification by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) next week.
The apex court formed a three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Friday to hear the plea on May 7 at 1:30pm.
Justices Faisal Arab and Sajjad Ali Shah are the other members of the bench.
Asif has stated in his review petition that he unintentionally failed to disclose his foreign work permit in his nomination papers — the basis for the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision against him.
He has pleaded the court to declare the IHC judgment null and void, and fix the matter for hearing at the apex court.
The appeal, while challenging the high court’s verdict, also asked that the ECP notification de-notifying Asif should be made void.
Asif, admitting that he was unable to declare his foreign bank account in the nomination papers “unintentionally”, accused the petitioner, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Usman Dar, of hiding facts from the court.
On April 27, Asif was disqualified by the IHC under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution for failing to disclose his employment in a UAE company and the monthly salary he was receiving.
The court announced its verdict on a petition stating that Asif did not mention his foreign employment in his nomination papers.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Athar Minallah had announced the verdict and ruled that Asif is not ‘honest’ and ‘truthful’ as per the Constitution.
The three bench members unanimously ruled that Asif was not qualified to contest the 2013 general election from NA-110 as he did not fulfill the conditions described under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution, read with Section 99(1)(f) of the Representation of People Act 1976.