CJ IHC Justice Athar Minallah to hear Faisal Vawda’s plea challenging ECP’s disqualification decision tomorrow

ISLAMABAD, Feb 15 (SABAH): Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah will hear Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Muhammad Faisal Vawda’s plea challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict of disqualifying him for life tomorrow (Wednesday).

The former senator and former federal minister Muhammad Faisal Vawda, in his petition, has stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan has no jurisdiction to take disqualification decision. The judgment of ECP has no legal status, he mentioned.

Earlier, ECP had disqualified PTI’s Faisal Vawda for life over concealing his dual nationality at the time of participating in the National Assembly election on a Karachi seat during 2018 General Elections.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr. Sikandar Sultan Raja announced its reserved verdict, directing the PTI leader to return the salary and other benefits he had received as a member of NA (MNA) within two months.

The commission had also declared the vote which Vawda had cast in the Senate elections on March 10 as MNA “invalid”. Vawda had submitted a false affidavit with his nomination papers, ECP stated.

It is to be mentioned here that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker Qadir Khan Mandokhail, Mian Faisal and Mian Asif Mehmood had filed a plea against Vawda, stating that he is no longer Sadiq and Ameen (truthful and trustworthy) as he concealed his dual citizenship and submitted a false affidavit in the ECP with his nomination papers.