ISLAMABAD: The petition seeking disqualification of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was not heard at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday.
The petition will be fixed for hearing by IHC’s Registrar Office following which Justice Athar Minallah will hear it.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Dar and Khurram Sher Zaman had filed petitions seeking the disqualification of the former president, alleging that Zardari had concealed his assets and was therefore dishonest. The petitions sought a declaration that Zardari was neither righteous nor sagacious in terms of Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution and also Section 231 of the Election Act, 2017 and, therefore, not qualified to be elected as a lawmaker.
The petitions also demanded that the ECP should hold that Zardari was not qualified to be elected or chosen or to officiate as or exercise powers of the “party head” within the meaning of Article 63A of the Constitution, including the offices of PPP-Parliamentarian president and PPP co-chairperson. The ECP, the National Assembly secretary and Zardari are respondents in the petitions.
Earlier, similar petitions were filed against Zardari in the Supreme Court (SC) and the ECP but they both had been returned.
The petitioners alleged that Zardari concealed details pertaining to ownership of an apartment in New York City, United States, in the nomination papers filed ahead of the general elections. He also failed to disclose two bulletproof vehicles, thus violating Article 62(f)(i) of the Constitution and Section 231 of the Election Act 2017, they maintained.
They alleged that both the apartment and the armoured vehicles were not disclosed in Form B of the nomination papers filed by Zardari on July 6, 2018, as a candidate for NA-213.
“Zardari occupies more than one office apart from co-chairing PPP, he is also president of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) which was a violation of Article 63 (a) of the Constitution” they added.
The PTI leaders also argued that Zardari’s alleged involvement in the money laundering of billions of rupees through fictitious bank accounts is also a ground for his disqualification.
