ECP reserves verdict on plea for Talpur's disqualification

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved on Monday a verdict on a petition seeking disqualification of People’s Party leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur as a Sindh Assembly member.

A five-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, reserved its judgement, which will be pronounced on February 8.

During the hearing, Farooq H Naek, a counsel for Ms Faryal Talpur, requested the bench to dismiss the plea for being non-maintainable.

Two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Arsalan Taj and Rabia Azfar had moved the petition in the ECP seeking disqualification of Ms Talpur as member of the provincial assembly over allegedly concealing her assets.

They stated the PPP leader should be disqualified under Article 62 of the Constitution as she failed to declare details of her assets before the ECP, which means she is no longer ‘Sadiq and Ameen’.

Faryal Talpur owned properties in Larkana and Shahdadkot, the petitioner stated, adding Talpur had been nominated in a case pertaining to billions of rupees corruption through fake bank accounts. They pleaded that she be disqualified as a member of the Sindh Assembly.