SC adjourns Faisal Vawda's plea against disqualification till April

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing of a petition of former PTI MNA Faisal Vawda against his disqualification till the first week of April, ARY News reported.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, also comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik heard the case.

Earlier, the apex court granted request of the Election Commission of Pakistan for time to submit its reply over the matter.

The court had issued notices to the ECP and Abdul Qadir Mandokhel MNA to file their responses to the PTI leader’s petition challenging his disqualification from parliament.

The bench allowed the opposite candidate of Faisal Vawda to become a party in the case.

The court also rejected a plea to suspend the notification about election of Nisar Khuhro, who has returned elected recently on the Senate seat vacated by Faisal Vawda.

Vawda had filed a petition in the Supreme Court under Article 185 (3) of the Constitution for leave to appeal against the order of the Election Commission of Pakistan dated February 9 and a judgment of the Islamabad High Court dated February 16, 2022.

An ECP bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Faisal Sultan Raja, had disqualified Vawda for concealing his dual nationality with a direction to return the salary and other benefits he had received as a minister and National Assembly member within two months. He was also de-notified as a Senator.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had turned down a request by PTI leader Faisal Vawda to suspend the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) Feb 16 verdict regarding his lifetime disqualification.