Iqama case: ECP ready to initiate inquiry against PPP bigwigs

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday told the Sindh High Court (SHC) that they are prepared to begin probe against PPP’s Faryal Talpur and Sohail Anwar Siyal in the case pertaining to holding foreign country’s Iqama (work permit).

However, the SHC censured the inadequate response submitted by the ECP as it took up the hearing of a case involving PPP’s senior leaders including Faryal Talpur and others for concealing their work permits of a foreign country in their nomination papers for July 25 election.

In reply to the court’s orders, ECP counsel Shamsul Islam submitted that “We have filed our response and are ready to hold an inquiry against Talpur and Siyal.”

SHC lashed out at the ECP for submitting a vague and one page response regarding all the accused, saying “there is nothing useful in the submitted rejoinder.”

The hearing was adjourned until October 25.

A petition had been filed in the Sindh High Court against the key PPP leaders Faryal Talpur, Manzoor Wasan, Nasir Hussain Shah, Sohail Anwar Siyal and others for allegedly holding work permits of a foreign country and not disclosing it in their nomination papers for elections.

Separately, an appeal was filed against a Sindh High Court ruling that rejected a petition seeking disqualification of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for failing to disclose his Canadian nationality and United Arab Emirates Iqama to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Petitioner Roshan Ali Buriro in his plea said, Murad Ali Shah, while concealing his UAE work permit and lying in front of the electoral body, is no more truthful and honest, thus he should be declared disqualified.