ECP to hear disqualification reference against Zardari on Jan 10

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will take up a reference seeking the disqualification of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Jan 10.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Khurram Sher Zaman, who moved the petition, left for Islamabad today to appear before the commission for the initial hearing of his plea. The commission will likely decide on the maintainability of the petition in the preliminary hearing.

Speaking to the media before departure, the PTI leader from Sindh said the former president and his facilitators should make up their mind for his disqualification. “The disqualification over concealing assets is the fate of Sindh’s godfather,” he said.

The PTI lawmaker had moved the petition in the ECP accusing Zardari of concealing his assets. He alleged that the PPP leader owned an apartment in Belaire Condomi­niums located at 524 East 72nd Street in New York but didn’t disclose it in his nomination papers for the 2018 general elections.

“Zardari under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Rules of the Election Commission of Pakistan, as per past precedent, should be disqualified from holding public office under Article 62 (1)(f), as in my opinion he ceases to be truthful and sagacious.”

He, therefore, pleaded the ECP to disqualify the PPP co-chairman as member of the National Assembly.