IHC turns down Vawda's plea to stay disqualification proceedings

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday turned down a plea by Water Resources Minister Faisal Vawda to stay disqualification proceedings against him.

An IHC bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq was hearing a petition seeking disqualification of the PTI leader as member of the National Assembly. He through his counsel filed an application requesting the court to stay the proceedings against him for the time being.

Also Read: Faisal Vawda given five days to respond to disqualification petition

Issuing notices to official respondents on his plea to file their comments, the judge declined to give an stay order. He noted the court had already ruled that the bench will decide the case at hand keeping in view the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) record.

The court expressed displeasure over Vawda’s counsel for failing to submit his response to the petition.

“Why haven’t you submitted a reply when this court had given clear instructions,” he censured the counsel. “Don’t play Chupan Chupai [hide and seek] game with the court. This won’t benefit you,” he remarked, noting the counsel was also not appearing before the ECP.

Earlier, Barrister Jahangir Khan Jadoon, the counsel for petitioner Mian Muhammad Faisal, alleged that Faisal Vawda lied in the June 11, 2018 affidavit he submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) before the 2018 elections that he had given up his dual nationality.

He said the minister was an American national at that time but he fibbed in the affidavit, adding he held the US citizenship even when his nomination papers were being scrutinised.