IHC to rule on Sanjrani's eligibility as acting president on Monday

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday set April 15 (Monday) for pronouncement of a reserved verdict on a petition challenging Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani’s eligibility to assume position of acting president in absence of the president of Pakistan.

Justice Aamir Farooq of the IHC will announce the verdict on Monday.

A bench headed by Justice Farooq had reserved the verdict on the petition filed by a citizen, Afzal Shanwari.

The petitioner through his counsel had contended before the court that Sanjrani was not eligible to assume office of acting president under Article 49 of the Constitution. He said the minimum age of the president is 45 years under the Article but the incumbent Senate chairman has still not reached this age.

Therefore, the petitioner said, Sanjrani doesn’t meet this criterion and pleaded to the court to stop him from discharging his responsibilities as acting president in absence of the president.

After hearing the arguments, the bench had reserved its judgement on the petition in Dec last year.

Backed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other parties, Sanjrani was elected as Senate chairman on March 13, 2018  through secret balloting by securing 57 votes against the then ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) candidate Raja Zafarul Haq, who managed to bag 46 votes

Born on April 14, 1978, Sadiq Sanjrani, 40, is youngest-ever head of the country’s upper house of Parliament.