PTI seeks to get premier’s son-in-law de-seated

Capt Safdar did not mention properties that Panama leaks revealed Maryam Nawaz owned

ISLAMABAD: As Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family face mounting pressure over the Panama leaks scandal, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is all set to move the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to de-seat Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, the premier’s son-in-law.

A local opponent from his native town Manshera on Friday received attested copies of nomination forms and statements of assets and liabilities Safdar had been filing before ECP.



“In these documents there is no mention of Maryam’s assets abroad,” a PTI leader who has gone through the documents told The Express Tribune.

On Wednesday, PTI’s Nawabzada Salahuddin Saeed, who lost the NA-21 Mansehra seat to Safdar in the 2013 elections, filed an application with ECP to provide him copies of Safdar’s nomination forms.

He also asked ECP to provide him copies of statements of assets and liabilities Sadar had been submitting every year.

Under the law, anyone who contests elections provides details of assets of his own, spouse and dependent children in the nomination forms they fill to take part in the elections. Those who get elected to parliament or provincial assemblies have to provide detailed statements of assets and liabilities every year till their term expires.

Safdar was elected to National Assembly in 2008 for the first time from NA-53 Rawalpindi. He returned to NA again in 2013 from his native town Mansehra.



PTI will now move another application for Safdar’s details during his last term to make their case against him stronger.

PTI sources said Safdar’s asset details mentioned his wife Maryam only had shares in two sugar mills and agriculture lands she inherited. There is no mention of any asset she ever held outside Pakistan including the properties mentioned in Panama Papers, they added.

PTI’s counsel in this case, Faisal Hussain Chaudhry claims that it was a very strong case to de-seat Safdar for concealing his family assets. He said he would be moving petition in ECP on behalf of his client next week.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2016.