IHC summons AG in Gillani's petition against Senate Chairman election

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) summoned Attorney General to assist the court in hearing of Yousaf Raza Gillani’s intra court appeal against a single bench decision on the election of the Senate chairman, ARY News reported Tuesday.

Gillani, a former prime minister of Pakistan, in his appeal seeks the court to abrogate the presiding officer’s decision of rejecting seven votes polled in favour of him in the Senate chairman’s election.

Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar represented the federation in the high court case.

The AAG asked the court to summon the Attorney General Khalid Javed in his personal capacity. “It is a constitutional issue and the single bench had earlier dismissed the petition,” the AAG said.

The bench asked other parties of the case, which agreed to the suggestion.

Senator Ali Zafar and Barrister Saif appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the Senate.

The high court bench adjourned further hearing of the case till May 26.

Gillani had moved the petition through his counsel Farooq H Naek seeking immediate suspension of the decision of the presiding officer.

The Presiding Officer, Secretary Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani, and Secretaries of Law, Parliamentary Affairs were made party in the appeal.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had dismissed an early petition by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani challenging the results of the Senate chairman election, noting that proceedings of the upper house of parliament were immune from the interference of the high court.

Gillani had pleaded the court to declare the rejection of seven votes polled in favour of the petitioner by he presiding officer as illegal and suspend the notification dated March 13 regarding the re-election of Sadiq Sanjrani as Senate chairman and restrain him from carrying out his duties in this capacity until this petition is decided.