ISLAMABAD:
Deputy Chairman Senate Sabir Ali Baloch has rejected a reference seeking the disqualification of Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
Officials informed on Friday, that a reference filed by Maulvi Iqbal Haider Advocate was disposed of by Baloch in his capacity as acting chairman Senate on October 1. “Yes, I heard that my reference seeking Malik’s disqualification has been rejected by Sabir Baloch,” Haider affirmed.
Additionally, Haider told The Express Tribune, that he also filed an application in the Supreme Court, which raises the question of whether, under the ambit of Article 163(2) of the Constitution, Rehman Malik is able to contest Senate elections, given that he has been convicted by a Rawalpindi accountability court on two references and that the apex court has not suspended the conviction either.
Haider objected to the candidature of Rehman Malik, when he filed papers for a seat in Senate in July after resigning.
He said that at the time of scrutiny on July 23, he raised the objection that a convicted person cannot contest elections under the Constitution. After nomination papers were accepted, he filed a disqualification reference with Senate.
A senior official of the Senate also confirmed the move saying, “Sabir Baloch disposed of the reference on October 1 in his capacity as acting chairman.” To a question, he said he was shocked to know that an acting chairman enjoys powers to dispose of a disqualification reference and regretted that the decision was not officially communicated to him.
About the Supreme Court’s order regarding Malik’s qualification, the senior official said that the process is under scrutiny by Senate Chairman Nayyar Bokhari, who is likely to pass a decision in the second week of this month.
The apex court sent a reference against Malik on cheating the court in a dual nationality case last month.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2012.
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Now one will know the power of an elected and acting person . CJ and his team is merely an appointed one .
And then the world expect the Pakistanis to be law abiding citizens of the world community. If dual nationality holders and the convicted persons are prohibited by the Pakistani constitution to hold or run for any elected office then how come the Election Commission of Pakistan had OKd Rehman's papers, it is just mind boggling. Pakistanis could get away with any crime or willfully violate their constitution if they are the members of an elite class.No wonder Pakistanis are having such a difficult time with the rest of the world community because they have no respect for the law of the land and their own constitution.This government in the garb of democracy has done more damage to the country's integrity than any other governments including the military regimes, it is just because of one man who is sitting in the Presidential House.